Luna's Knights
by animaniacj
Summary: Lonely nights are starting to take their toll on Luna again, but she doesn't want to repeat history. So she divises a way to fill nights.
1. Chapter 1

**Guilty Thoughts:**

It was twilight, same as always. I was heading to my sister to check in with her before I overtook the sky, same as always. It was the same now as it had been a thousand years ago. The same resentments were even creeping back.

I shook my head. I knew that those resentments were ill founded. The ponies needed the night for their own recuperation. They couldn't sleep during Tia's day as easily as I could, and if they tried to stay up just to please me, it would cost them their health. I was pleased when the ponies held special times for just the night, which at least made my nights of quiet worth the time.

As I approached my sister's chambers, the two Unicorn Guards saluted. "At ease you two." I said in the normal voice Twilight Sparkle had told me to use when speaking to smaller crowds. "Is my sister busy?"

"Not currently Ma'am." Thunder Seeker replied. "Although I do believe she's mulling over the Everfree Forest again."

"Isn't she always." I sighed. "Thank you." I said as I proceeded in.

"Not a problem Ma'am." Thunder Seeker said as they both saluted again. As I went in, I saw Tia lying in front of her fireplace with what I had come to know as Twilight Sparkle's letters.

"So what's today's big news of friendship?" I asked as I approached her.

"It seems her assistant Spike learned the importance of limitations and when to listen to his friends warnings." Tia said as she rolled the parchment up and placed it with the rest of the letters.

"How many does that make now?" I asked as I looked upon the impressive pile. It must have come up to my shoulders by now if they were to be placed on the floor.

"Mm, if my count has kept up, I would have to say that's about the 87th one." Tia said as she smiled. "And to think that Twilight Sparkle was against the idea when she started."

"You were lucky to find one such as her." I smiled in turn, but out of sad remembrance. "If it hadn't been for her, who knows what I would have done."

"Now Luna," Tia said as she stood up. "We've been over this, we were both to blame for that incident. I didn't listen or see it and you kept it bottled inside. Stop blaming yourself for Nightmare Moon, it's behind us and we shouldn't dwell on it."

"You're right." I sighed, but then smiled. "But maybe you should take that advice yourself. Thunder Seeker said you were dwelling on the Everfree Forest again."

Tia grimaced. "The reason why I come here is for some time for myself. What I do here is of my own concern."

"Now, now, you know that the Everfree Forest is called that for a reason. We can't, and shouldn't, control everything that goes on in the world."

"But it's become such a problem for the ponies living near it though." Tia huffed. "If there were a way to control it, even a little bit, I wouldn't be worrying so much."

"Yes, yes, but we need the ponies to learn how to work for themselves in time of need in case we can't be there for them. The Everfree Forest helps with that. It also gives a place for the wild and dangerous animals that we needn't deal with. Now, if that's all that's bothering you, you should head to bed as I draw up the night."

"But what of our meal together? We never see each other otherwise." Tia complained.

"Tia, trust me, you need the sleep more than the food. A princess shouldn't be complaining the way you are now, anyways." I pointed out.

"The reason why these are _private_ chambers is so that I _can_ complain like this." Tia pointed out. "Besides, you know I wasn't always the one in charge of my emotions."

"Don't I." I rolled my eyes. "I think that might be one of the up sides of my banishment."

"Maybe." Tia smiled. "Goodnight then Luna, I'll see in the morning for breakfast then?"

"Certainly." I smiled as I gave my sister a hug. I stayed until I knew that Tia had gone to sleep, and left quietly. I nodded to the Guards as I left and headed to the Raising Grounds.

It wasn't as impressive as the Summer Sun Celebration grounds, but it was still as practical. It gave me enough room to use the magic necessary to raise the moon and light the stars. As I went, I nodded my notice to the workers who were heading in for the night and to the guards who were changing shifts. But as I got to the Rising Grounds, I found somepony I wasn't expecting.

"Shining Armor? What are you doing here?" I queried as he noticed my approach.

"Princess Luna, I was just here to admire your rising of the night." The white unicorn said a bit to quickly.

"Right, and what of Cadence? I usually don't see you two apart while you are off shift." I smiled.

"Ah, she's, uh, already asleep." Shining armor said hesitantly as he looked away.

"And you do not join her there? Is there a problem?" I asked, actually worried that something _was_ wrong. Their entire wedding day had almost been ruined, and that might have not started the marriage off on a good hoof.

"No! No, there aren't any problems, Cadence just wants her space right now." Shining Armor said defensively. It seemed a bit suspicious, but I had a job to do right now.

"Well, if you are here to admire the night, I am not one to complain." I smiled. "Now, if you will please step aside Shining Armor."

"Of course Princess."

Shining Armor stood aside and I took my place in the center of the Raising Grounds. It was routine, but it still took vast amounts of concentration to raise the moon. I was still wondering how Tia had managed both the moon and the sun for the last one thousand years.

I focused the spell that would raise the moon and braced myself to regulate how fast the moon rose. The weight of the moon came upon me fast, but the many years of the same routine had made it an easy burden to bear, especially since I had spent my last one thousand understanding it.

When the moon was on it's own way of rising, I began to light the stars for the season. I wouldn't have to do this every night, but tonight needed particular care. Summer was turning to autumn, and the stars needed to change accordingly. Pegasus needed some coaxing, but it lit when I gave it a final push. Sighing from finishing my nightly duties, I turned back to Shining Armor.

"So? How was watching the rising of the night?" I smiled as I approached the slacked jawed unicorn.

"That… that was amazing." He was finally able to admit. "Princess Celestia's days might be wonderful, but actually being able to see every part of the spell was beautiful. I doubt I could have anywhere near that much accuracy."

"Thank you very much for your kind words." I smiled a little. If I had to be honest, no one had told me what they have thought of my job since I had returned. To hear such a positive response made me feel proud. "You know Shining Armor, I don't seem to recall any pressing matters, why don't we walk for a bit? I would like to know of my nephew-in-law."

"I don't see why I couldn't accompany you for a while. I'm sure an hour or two won't hurt."

"Well then, why not take this to the garden?" I said as I walked past.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice Princess." Shining Armor chuckled as he caught up with me. "So, what do you want to know?"

"Hm, now there's a question. Well, let us start with how you met our niece."

"Well, that's a bit simple. I met Cadence when I was looking toward entering the Guard. Twily was still a foal and needed a sitter when mom and dad were out, so Cadence got the job. For a while we were just friends, but after Twily stopped needing a foal sitter, Cadence and I started seeing each other more and more. And you know where we ended up."

"Married and keeping your distance." I pointed out.

"Y-Yeah." Shining Armor looked away again.

"If something's the matter, you know you can tell either myself or Tia." I looked down at the unicorn.

"Well, it's not like there _is_ a problem, but I'm not quite so trusting of my judgment on that point." He sighed. I gave him a questioning stare as we entered the garden and remembered the conversation I had just had with my sister.

"Don't dwell on the past Shining Armor. It happened and it was fixed. Don't let the past drag you down from forging a future."

"Thank you Princess Luna." Shining Armor seemed to cheer up. "I guess I had been letting the wedding fiasco get to me recently."

"Not a problem." I smiled. "But what do you think is going on with Cadence right now?"

"Well," Shining Armor paused in thought. "She seems irritable in the morning, she asks for the strangest foods at the most inappropriate times, and she seems to be wanting to be seen less and less by the public."

I thought of those three problems and pieced them together. I then smiled at the conclusion I had come to. "Well, it doesn't seem like the fiasco had any problems with your night life."

"What do you mean Princess?" Shining Armor looked at me quizzingly.

"Oh no, it's not for me to say." I said as my smile widened. "I think the best thing for you to do right now is ask Cadence what's wrong at a time when she seems decent, or ask my sister's brilliant student, your sister."

"Why would Twily know what's wrong with Cadence?" He asked, still puzzled.

"I hear that Twilight Sparkle is a very adept reader and remembers what she reads very well. I'm sure if you tell her what you told me, she'll come to the same conclusion I have."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about." Shining Armor huffed.

"And I would love to see your face when you do. But you do need your sleep. I suggest that you head back to your wife, for she can't stay angry at you forever." I said as I directed him toward the general chambers.

"I have to say, you can be just as mysterious as Princess Celestia." Shining Armor chuckled.

"Even more so." I cooed. "Have you ever seen everything in the night?"

"I would have to say I haven't." Shining Armor smiled. "Goodnight then Princess Luna."

"Goodnight to you too, Shining Armor." I waved as he retreated to the castle. After he was gone, I put my hoof down and sighed. Having to be the overseer of all of the night was important, but it was lonely. Even work would have kept me distracted, but there were not that many nocturnal kingdoms, and none of them currently had any business with Equestria.

I wandered around the garden, admiring the sculptures that had been switched out with the previous seasons. The statues were regularly rotated so that there was a sense of uniqueness to each season. The only one that was never moved was the one of Discord.

I came upon his statue and just watched it. When Tia and I had imprisoned him, he had thought of it as a joke and made a pose for us to enjoy while he broke out. Little did he know that he couldn't break out. How he had done so recently still baffled the castle, but at least Twilight Sparkle and her friends had recaptured him swiftly.

Now Discord had a look of horror, horror that he was being turned back into stone. Returning to his prison. It made me think of what would happen if I became Nightmare Moon again. I had only been banished because Tia had held three of the current five elements, but would I too become stone now that all six were able to be weld against me?

No. I must turn away from those thoughts. I had learned my lesson. My nights were necessary for both my ponies and my sister to rest, to restore themselves. Plus, if there were never ending night, no crops would ever grow for my subjects. No crops would mean no food, and no food would lead to a revolt against me, just like Tia and I had revolted against Discord.

Sometimes, though, I wished that there were more ponies that shared my nights with me. Somepony that I could converse with, to learn of the rest of my kingdom from. Sure, I knew of the state of affairs, but I knew next to nothing of my subjects. I had learned that from my time in Ponyville during Nightmare Night.

Maybe I could take a student of my own. This was an interesting thought, there was the school of magic my sister had begun while I was banished, and had even taken Twilight Sparkle under her wing as a personal student. So why couldn't I do the same?

The more I thought, the more intrigued I was. Maybe it could be the start of something new. The hours spent asleep spent by most ponies could be utilized, expanded upon. I decided to bring it up with Tia in the morning, to see who among the fillies of the school would like to become my student. I could teach them of how to control the night as I did, to travel swiftly and concur their own fears. The more I thought, the more excited I became.

I headed to my own personal chambers to write up a proposal to my sister. I knew that it wasn't going to be perfect, but a draft to haggle over would be necessary. Maybe I could even train a force to overthrow Celestia.

I stopped in my tracks. Where had that thought come from? There was no point to overthrow Tia, no one would support me and there would be no change. All that would be different would be the never-ending night. No sun for the ponies to bask in.

I stopped thinking all together. I stayed there, in the hall, completely still. No other thoughts came to me, none for the night students, and none to overthrow Tia. I headed back to my room slowly, focusing on my walking and how I was going to introduce this new program.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Night's Proposal:**

The moon had fallen low in the horizon, letting me know that I had nearly an hour left to finish my proposal. It wasn't long, and very vague, but I believed it got my point across. I finished the last line and placed the quill back in its well. Now was time for a final check for the night before I awoke Tia so that she may overtake the skies.

I went onto the patio and spread my wings and took off. As usual, there was no pony walking the grounds. There never was at this point in time. All nocturnal species would be turning in and it was still too early for any other creature, pony or otherwise, to be awake. There was only the empty skies and myself to soar them.

This was a normal night as any, but my thoughts were not on my flight. They were on my excitement of proposing my thoughts. It had been a fulfilling night, one of the nights that actually had something for me to do. If it went as well as I was hoping, I wouldn't have to roam the empty skies by myself by the end of the week.

My attention did come back when my flight took me above the Everfree Forest. As always, I noted any irregular changes in the forest, seeing as no normal pony was ever going to go into the Everfree Forest of their own accord. I personally didn't see what the big deal was with this forest and the ponies. The only thing that notated this forest as being different from other ones was that there was some sort of residual magic from Discord's time of chaos that didn't allow pony kind to shape it themselves.

Besides a new fallen tree here or there, there wasn't a significant change from my patrol yesterday. I did see one clearing that seemed to always be here; so today I decided to stop by. I descended into the forest and landed in front of the crumbling castle.

It had once been one of Discord's abodes, as well as our first place of ruling when the world was still chaotic. I walked through the half gone archway and into the front hall. I remembered when it was a spectacle to see. Ponies of all statuses comingled and talked to Tia and I in a normal fashion, no need for formalities, just a festive time for all. I sometimes wished that those simpler times were around. I did appreciate the status, but it isolated my sister and I from the rest of our kingdom.

I came upon the old Elements room where Twilight Sparkle and I had had our confrontation, and where I ceased to be Nightmare Moon. I smiled in the nostalgia and saw the empty pedestal that once been the holder of the Elements of Harmony. For no particular reason other than nostalgia, I picked up shards of rocks and fixed them together and put them upon the pedestal.

They were nothing more than stone orbs now, but seeing the orbs as a holder to the Element's spots made me feel at peace with the shape of our first castle. As long as this stayed as a monument and a reminder, nopony may need to go without them. All they had to do was remember that the power of the Elements was with everypony.

I smiled to myself as I thought of this. It would make an excellent first lesson to anypony that wanted to attend as my student. A lesson that nopony need be alone, or can be alone. I even chuckled at how much more direct I was thinking than my sister. And I was supposed to be the mysterious one.

I took one more look about the overgrown hall and headed back outside. As I looked to the moon, I calculated I had about ten minutes before I was late waking up my sister. I hadn't expected my trot down memory lane would take me so long. With a short run, I lifted myself back up into the skies and headed back to Canterlot.

I was cutting it close when I came to my sister's balcony. The moon was already nonexistent on the horizon and I could see some of the ponies already rousing from their slumber. I unlocked the balcony door and walked in.

Tia was still sound asleep, like she hadn't a care in the world. I smiled in remembrance when we actually _didn't_ have a care in the world, and that was even further back, even before Discord. But this was the here and now, and Tia had a job to do.

"Tia, it's time to get up. I have to say you have about ten minutes or so to be ready to raise the sun." I said as I shook my sister awake.

"Geez Luna, cutting it close tonight, aren't you?" Tia mumbled as she got out of bed. "Not even time to grab a snack beforehand."

"It just makes breakfast that much sweeter Tia, now come on." I prompted as I opened her chamber doors. I saw the two guards posted snap to attention as I did, they were probably napping, but now wasn't the time for a reprimand.

"You're a bit pushy this morning Luna." Tia observed as she put her crown on and came trotting. "You're usually eager to keep the night."

"And we saw where that went." I jabbed.

"And even making jokes of Nightmare Moon, what happened last night?" Tia asked as we went to the Raising Grounds.

"Oh, the captain of our Unicorn Guard dropped by for a visit last night and it got me thinking." I brushed the question off. "By the way, you might want to talk to him about Cadence."

"I want a full report when we get to breakfast." Tia said in amazement. "You never talk this much in the morning."

"Usually because I have nothing to talk about." I smiled. "I have to stop at my room for something Tia. I'll see you at the dinning room for breakfast." I said as I trotted off to my room.

"I better see you there sister." Tia called after me.

I hadn't realized how nervous I was to propose my plan to Tia until I actually started talking to her. After thinking a bit more, I realized that this was the first proactive duty I was taking upon myself since my return. Then again, the night didn't have that many things to be reactive to. After the first few months of night, the darkness had become that of a close friend, nothing to be scared or be cautious of.

I got back to my chambers and found my papers as I had left them. I picked them up, straightened them out, and rolled them up. As I did, the suns rays started to break through the doorway. Tia had been considerate enough to make sure that my chambers did not have to have direct sunlight until late afternoon. I decided to hurry up and get to the dinning room; otherwise Tia may have begun without me.

I kept my papers close to my side as I trotted quickly down the halls to meet with my sister. Luckily enough, she hadn't arrived yet, so I gave a sigh of relief as I took my seat at our small and personal dinning table. I placed my papers down and relaxed, waiting for Tia to arrive.

She arrived soon after I did, looking tired but keeping her head high. Tia went straight to her seat across me and sighed. She then looked up at me.

"Have you waited long Luna?" She smiled. Even tired and exhausted, she could still put on such a pleasant aura.

"No, not really. I just got situated myself." I smiled back. "So shall we dine?"

"I think we should." Tia replied. And as if on cue, a trolley being pushed by a green earth pony came in. He had a yellow mane that complemented his coat very well, and yet I had never seen a cutie mark on him. He had been our server ever since I had returned, but his name escaped me.

"And for this mornings breakfast, we have a fruit assortment with banana nut muffins." The colt said as he removed the lid to the meal. The aroma of the fruit reached my nose and I had to fight the urge to salivate.

"Thank you very much Quick Fix, we can serve ourselves." Tia said, dismissing the pony. He bowed and made a quick exit.

"I just don't know how you do that Tia." I shook my head in amazement.

"Do what?" My sister asked innocently as she grabbed an apple and took a bite.

"How you remember every single ponies name. Quick Fix has served me my food since I've been back, but I couldn't recall his name until you said it." I sighed as I grabbed myself a vine of grapes.

"It's a habit I guess." Tia said in thought. "One thousand years of interacting with thousands of ponies has just had that kind of effect. You did leave when our rule was new. I'm sure you'll pick it up in time too."

"Well, it might also be helpful to pick that habit up faster with what I'm planning." I said, bringing around my proposal.

"And what are you planning?" Tia asked, taking my bait.

"You see sister, the nights are getting longer, and they are as lonely as always. Yesterday, when Shining Armor kept me company for a brief time, I thought of your student." I began.

"I wouldn't doubt it, he really does have a protective complex about her." Tia smiled.

"But that's the thing. I think he trusts you for her protection, being her teacher."

"Well, I'm not personally overlooking her work." Tia said modestly.

"But you do mentor her." I pressed. "So I began to think, why couldn't I teach some of the students from the school of magic?"

Tia stopped eating and looked at me. I knew that look well, it was the 'are-you-sure-you-know-what-you're-doing' look. "Luna, you must know that I decided to mentor Twilight Sparkle because of the amount of raw talent she possessed that made her capable of studying under me. I didn't do it on a whim."

"And neither am I saying that I want to teach anypony that decides they want to do it."

"Then what are you proposing?" Tia asked, her full attention on me.

"I'm proposing that I teach ponies how to deal with the darkness of night."

"Luna, no regular pony can handle that." Tia said, half scolding, half aghast.

"But Tia, I am no regular pony, I'm your sister. And I'm not saying that I would just throw the students to the Everfree Forest. I would let them handle the darkness one bit at a time. They, in turn, would learn how to concur their own fears."

"I don't know Luna."

"Celestia," I said, snapping Tia to full attention, for me to use her full name in private was a rare occurrence. "We can't always be here for our ponies. We have lived for a long time, but there will be a time to come where we will be indisposed or gone. In that time, I am unsettled that only our Guards and the Elements would be able or willing to act." I sighed. "Plus, it would give me something to actually do in the long nights."

"Luna, I hear what you're saying." Tia began. "But we can't train our entire nation to be warriors."

"I'm not proposing that they would be." I cut her off. "All I'm saying is that I want more of our people willing to act. When Queen Chrysalis attacked, I heard of only Twilight Sparkle and her friends making a stand against the changelings. Everypony else was only panicking. Now I'm not saying that they should have fought back." I said, cutting Tia's retort before she could make it. "But there could have been leaders, there could have been ponies gathering others into safety. There could have been ponies to hold off the changelings while others got to safety. _That_ is what I'm proposing. I am proposing that there be a civilian movement for immediate leadership." I finished my speech.

Tia stared at me for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, she sighed and smiled. "You sure put some thought into this."

"I had all night." I smiled.

"Oh hush you." Tia smiled in return. "All right. I'll post an announcement to the school for anypony that would like to attend."

I sighed and smiled. "Thank you Tia, you have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'm just wondering if you know what you're doing." Tia sighed as she finished her apple.


	3. Chapter 3

**Knowing Your People:**

I was feeling to excited from my sister's approval to sleep immediately after breakfast, so I decided to attend to the official business of the early morning. I actually couldn't remember the last time I was this excited. Even the business that usually would have sent me to sleep did not. Not that my mind was anywhere near the talks, instead, I was thinking of ways to prepare a filly for the long nights.

I didn't think it was going to be too difficult. A few nights learning the concepts, learning of themselves, and then a test run of darkness. I had it all planned out by the time the presentation on the latest harvest schedule, all except for the test run. After rethinking from the perspective of my possible students and neglected my own experience, I began to see a problem.

The ponies of Equestria were a timid kind; they panicked easily and jumped to harsh conclusions easily. Yet this was only met against the unknown or intimidating. Against the harmless looking, they were so easy to accept. The darkness was in a most definite way _not_ all that welcoming. It gave nothing and hid everything from you, making you work for your path. There was defiantly only a pail full of ponies that were fearless enough to face the darkness, fewer still being unicorns.

That was the other bump I found in my plan for a student, I was only looking in one of the three branches of my kingdom. What could I possibly teach a Pegasus or Earth Pony? Everything I was currently planning needed extensive amounts of magic. I was trying to keep it as minimal as possible, but I found that it was turning out to be a vigorous course.

As it came around to the end of our third and final meeting of the morning, I snapped to attention when Tia started talking. It wasn't because she was specifically talking, but because I realized we were in a meeting with the department heads of Tia's school of magic. And she was talking of my proposal.

"…Now, Luna's proposal is a bit irregular, but she gave a very legitimate reason. The changeling incident was solved, but it was due to only six ponies' contributions that they were stalled long enough for Cadence and Shining Armor to clear them all out. Again, Luna has conferred with me to start a night class to help counteract against such bad terms coming to fruition again. I am merely asking that the ponies of the academy be given the opportunity for the class. I am sure that if they cannot take the work load, Luna will dismiss them before they hurt themselves."

"But what of their other studies?" A colt with a blue coat and silver mane asked. "Surely you don't expect them to drop everything for such a class?"

"I wouldn't dream of it." I spoke up. Everypony turned their attention on me and I did my best not to shrink back. How did Tia do this all day? "I intended to introduce this class for the student's own choice to join. If they do not come of their own will, it will be next to impossible to teach. If the student does however stay as my student, their schedule will have to be rearranged."

"You know that we must inform the students of exactly what you plan to teach, right Princess Luna?" A green mare with a red main proposed.

"I would think of nothing less." I shook my head. "If anypony came to me half informed, they would not come out the same. I heed you to take every precaution in allowing the students to sign up."

"If everypony here is satisfied with my sister's claims, will you allow for such a class to take hold?" Tia asked. There was a unanimous vote for my proposed pastime. I would have celebrated with Tia further at lunch, but I needed my rest for the night. As the rest of the ponies left Tia and myself alone, we both sighed in tandem.

"I didn't expect it to go that well sister." I smiled.

"I think your confirmation of how strict it is sold them." Tia smiled back. "I also think that, for you to take such a bold action swayed them even more."

"What do you mean?"

"Luna, I can propose whatever I want, but if I don't have the ponies support, it won't be as effective as I hoped it would be. And they know me. But you, Luna, have been back for little over a year, never making an action for yourself."

"That's not true." I huffed.

"You can say that Luna, but how many of these ponies know you?" Tia gave her knowing smile.

"W-Well, there are the citizens of Ponyville." I mumbled.

"For one holiday." Tia chided. "You even admitted it yourself this morning."

"When?" I asked, offended.

"When you said you couldn't remember Quick Fix's name. Luna, I didn't want this to be just for the fillies, but for you as well. This gives you a great opportunity to learn of our ponies."

I just smiled knowingly. "And that's exactly what I had been thinking."

Tia looked shocked for a split-second, but then reverted back to her smile. "And what more could I expect of my sister?"

"To get some sleep perhaps?" I giggled, and then yawned. "It might be your prime time Tia, but I think I'm long past due for a rest."

"Go then Luna." Tia said as she nudged me in the general direction of my room. "It was nice having you here."

"Not a problem Tia." I said as I walked off toward my room.

Now was not a time to overexert myself. If there were any eager ponies, they would show up by tonight. Not that I was expecting any of them to. Being told you are going to be exposed to the dark on a regular basis does not usually excite the ponies of the kingdom.

I sighed with relief as I came to my room. I really had stayed up to late; I was nearly falling over into my room. Unfortunately, there was one pony who would not let me rest.

"Luna!" Cadence called from down the hall. I sighed to myself, but then raised my head with a smile.

"Yes Cadence? How are you?"

"I'm fine, but it's been forever since I've seen you. And that's an impressive feat, seeing as we both live here." Cadence said as she came closer. She was right, I had hardly seen my niece since her wedding night, and even then it was merely glances. But then the conversation I had with Shining Armor came to mind. I felt a rush of energy flow through me as my conclusion came back to me.

"You're right, it is impressive. Can you stay for a minute so we can catch up?" I said as I opened my door. "I need my rest soon, but I can stay up a little longer to chat."

"Oh, I don't know. If you really need your rest, I don't think I should impose." Cadence said as she started to slow down.

"Actually, I insist now." I said with a small smile. "I actually have something I want to run by you." And with that, I forcefully picked up my niece and put her in my room. I followed and closed the door.

"Luna? Don't you think it's a bit dark?" Cadence asked as she looked around. Well, at least my forcefulness went unnoticed.

"It has to be if I want to sleep through Tia's days." I said as I lit a few candles. "But that doesn't mean I keep all of my time in the dark. Now, have a seat."

"Um, ok." Cadence said as she made her way to one mats I had laid out for any time somepony were to actually visit me while I were awake. I kept a close eye on her as she lay down, and I noticed her slight shifting as she tried to find a comfortable spot. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, it is a bit of a personal matter between you and Shining Armor." I admitted as I lay in front of Cadence.

"Why?"

"Well, you see, Shining Armor was up at the Raising Ground yesterday as I was about to raise the night. When I was done, I invited him to talk with me a bit as we went to the garden, and, well…" I was trying to find the best way to approach this.

"You can't mean… did the two of you…" Cadence started to glare at me.

"What? NO! No no no. He mentioned how you had been acting recently and I was wondering if you were pregnant." I blurted out. I covered my mouth, but it was already out there.

Cadence just sighed and smiled. "Yes. Yes I am." Was all she said in response. I was a bit shocked at the simple response that I just stared for a second. Then I shook my head to get back into the conversation.

"How long have you known?"

"About two weeks or so now. One day, I wanted a sugar cube with my daisy and hay sandwich. I had never eaten like that before, and yet it felt right. Then I started to feel queasy in the mornings and didn't know how to act towards others. So I did some preliminary checking and went to the castles doctor, and she confirmed it."

"Why haven't you told Shining Armor yet? Surely he should know."

"I would like to, but every time I try, I just end up sounding irritated and demand to be left alone." Cadence sighed. "I really don't know when I can really tell him."

"Don't worry. He at least knows something's wrong, so I told him to tell his sister."

"Twilight? Why would you tell him to tell her?" Cadences voice started to rise.

"Cadence." I said in a warning tone.

"Sorry." She backed off. "That's one of the reasons I've been staying out of site recently."

:If you ever need a place to relax, my room is always open." I smiled. "But as to why I told Shining Armor to confide in Twilight Sparkle, it is because she is his sister _and_ has extensive knowledge of you. And if she's as smart as my sister says, she'll either come to the same conclusion I have, or assume you're a changeling, again."

"Luna! That's mean!" Cadence pouted.

"I'm sorry, but that's just priceless." I giggled as I looked at Cadence's face. "But seriously, family should know, and who better to know than her? I do remember you saying that you two had the greatest times."

"Yeah." Cadence looked down in remembrance. "She was the most secluded filly I had ever watched over. But once you got to know her, she was the most talkative pony ever." She giggled. "You know, maybe it won't be so bad to see her here again."

"That's the way." I encouraged before yawning. "Oh my, excuse me."

"No, excuse me Luna." Cadence said as she stood. "You need your rest and I need to think some more. Get some sleep."

"Yes _mother_." I emphasized as Cadence left. I saw her blush a bit as she closed the door. It might have been a bit much, but talking like that, just being casual, was such a rare occurrence now. I got up and went over to my bed and flopped down, a sigh of relax escaping from me. In no time, I was out.

…

And in no time, I was up. I felt like I had not closed my eyes two minutes ago. But I knew it was time to be up and about because the sun was reaching its western horizon. I stretched and groaned, but it wasn't like I wasn't expecting such days to come. As the season were to progress, Tia's days would become shorter, and my night were to become longer.

I got up and walked to my door, and as I opened it, I found the same green earth pony at my door, hoof raised.

"How may I help you? Um…"

"Quick Fix, Princess Luna." Quick Fix said as he lowered his hoof. "I was just asked by Princess Celestia to fetch you for dinner."

"Well, isn't that kind?" I said with a polite smile. I didn't know if this was coincidence, karma, or sister's own doing, but having to meet with Quick Fix like this felt a little more than embarrassing.

"If Your Highness is up, I should get back to the kitchen." And with that, Quick fix turned to leave.

"Wait!" I said a bit louder than I needed to.

"Yes Princess?" Quick Fix said, looking over his shoulder.

"Why don't you, uh, escort me to the dining room? Yes, that's it. Escort me to the dining room, perhaps you could tell me of today's menu?" I said as I walked up to the pony.

"Um, sure, it would be my pleasure." Quick Fix said as he kept to my pace. "What would you like to know first?"

"How about the main course, followed by the appetizer?" I said casually as possible.

"Yes, of course. Today, we have a shredded radish salad with peanut seasonings with chopped apples, followed by a banana nit muffin spread with strawberry jam centering."

"Mhm." I nodded.

"And this isn't the slightest bit of what you wanted to talk about, is it?" Quick Fix asked, sounding down.

"Mhm." I nodded.

"I knew it. Well, I guess I will be off to the kitchens." He sighed.

"Mhm. I mean wait!" I called as I saw the pony leaving. "I'm sorry Quick Fix, it's just that there's something I'm planning, and it's taking some time to put together."

"I figured as much." Quick Fix said without turning around. "Princess Luna, with all due respect, if I'm not needed, I have a job to do."

"Wait Quick Fix. One of the points of this plan is getting to know the ponies of Equestria." That seemed to catch his attention, because he turned around with a curious look.

"But you're the Princess, Princess Luna. You already know all of us."

"Not…not as well as I should." I admitted. "You see Quick Fix, you have been serving my sister and I for a while now, correct?"

"Yes." He said, not getting where I was going.

"And yet, in all that time, have I ever thanked you by name?" I asked seriously.

"Well… no, I guess you haven't Princess." Quick fix said after some thought.

"And that's something I've been meaning to rectify. I just think I don't have enough interaction with the ponies of Equestria to be considered a very good princess. So, maybe you could help me with that?"

"Are you asking me to… to talk to you on a regular basis Princess?" Quick Fix looked surprised.

"That would be a start." I smiled.

"I-I-I-I would be honored!" Quick Fix said happily. "But not tonight I think, Princess Celestia is probably wondering where you are."

"She is the type to worry." I sighed. "I guess we'll part here then." Without even realizing it, we had continued to walk all the way to the dining room doors.

"I'll see you in a bit to serve your food then Princess." Quick Fix said as he trotted off.

"Oh, and Quick Fix!" He turned back. "I would like some butter for those banana nut muffins." Quick Fix smiled and trotted off faster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Setting Plans to Motion:**

I opened the door to the dining room to find Tia sitting at the table looking complacent. But knowing her, I analyzed how she actually looked, and what I saw, I didn't quite like.

"Luna, there you are, I was beginning to worry." Tia said with a smile.

"And you show it so well." I teased. "I'm sorry I took so long, I was just having a conversation with Quick Fix."

"Really now? I only asked the staff to fetch you. I had no idea they would send him."

"Sure you didn't." I rolled my eyes. That settled it, her little hidden smile said it all. She defiantly sent Quick Fix. "Anyways, how was the rest of your day Tia?"

"Just the same old stuff. The highlight of my day was really the proposal for your class. Besides that, nothing of any importance happened. So how was your chat with Quick Fix?"

"Oh, we just talked about what we're having tonight and any minor changes to the menu." I waved off as I took my seat across from her. "But are you _sure_ nothing else happened today?"

"Positive. Why?"

"Because your entire being is saying otherwise." I pointed out. "Face it Tia, I can still read you like an open book."

"Just like I can read you, but your right." Tia admitted, a bigger smile breaking out across her face. "But all I'm going to tell you is that you already have a student."

"Really? That quickly?" I said in shock and amazement. I thought it would take at least another day or two before anypony tried for it.

"Yes, that quickly. She signed up as soon as the announcement was done,"

"And you're not going to tell me who it is, are you?"

"You read me." Tia admitted. I sighed, but I was still happy that my ever-growing nights were not going to grow ever boring. This could even be the perfect time to collaborate with the ponies of Equestria on overturning Celestia.

I shook my head violently this time. Where were these thoughts coming from? I loved my sister; I aspired to be like her, I was nowhere near ready to take her place. I needed at least a vast following this time.

I groaned and placed my head down on the table, ceasing all thought.

"Luna, are you all right?" Tia asked, concern obvious to discern. "Do you need me to take over the night tonight?"

"No!" I said, sitting straight up. Tia was taken aback, but I calmed down. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. I'm… I'm just not sure about a pony so eager to face the dark of the night. I know it wasn't easy for me to accept as my duty when I began, and I started this idea out of how timid most ponies are. To have one so eager, I'm just not sure."

"Hm, I can see where you're coming from. It may be true that she is just accepting to be taught by a princess of Equestria, but give her a chance and just see for yourself."

"Are you sure I can be a good judge of character?"

"What happened to the confident sister of mine from this morning? Stick to your plans, but be flexible. Plans ever rarely go as well as they are written."

"Unless you write them."

"Now you know that's not true." Tia laughed. "But I think our food has finally come."

As always, Quick Fix seemed to know his cue, because he came in, pushing the usual dining cart.

"Evening your Majesties. Tonight we have prepared a shredded radish salad with peanut seasonings, along with chopped apples." Quick Fix said as he removed the cover off of the platter on the trolley, reveling a fairly decent sized bowl underneath. But I was puzzled.

"What of the muffins?" I asked. "I thought you said there were going to be muffins Quick Fix."

"My, aren't we pushy today?" Tia smiled. "I never thought you liked the muffins that much."

"Well, uh, you see Princess Luna, with your sudden request, my dad went a bit panicky on the arrangement." Quick Fix admitted. "I'll have them out as soon as I can, I promise." And with that, Quick Fix left the way he came.

"You made a request? That's a first as well." Tia kept smiling as she served herself some of the salad.

"Well, Quick Fix just mentioned the menu and I asked for some butter that's all." I mumbled as I served myself as well.

"My, Luna, I believe this is the most active you've been since you came back." Tia said as she ate one of her apple slices.

"I'm not _that_ antisocial Tia, I just can't seem to catch anypony at a good time."

"You may not be antisocial, but you don't make the effort to talk to anypony either."

"I guess that's all going to change soon, isn't it?"

"Sooner than you think." Tia said, with her ever-growing smile. I knew she was trying to hide something, and she had gotten better at it over the last one thousand years. But before I could inquire further, Quick Fix came back with the promised muffins.

"Honestly, I don't see the point. They're just going to get eaten anyways." I heard the colt mumbling. I cleared my throat, and that seemed to make it dawn upon him that he was again in our presence. "I'm sorry about that delay Your Highnesses. Here are the muffins, as promised."

"Excellent." I said as I grabbed one of the muffins and the bowl of butter in the center. I cracked the top of the muffin off to reveal the strawberry center. I spread the butter around the edge and replaced the top, and took a bite. I relished in the bite a second to long before I realized Tia and Quick Fix were looking at me. I finished my bite and set the muffin down next to the salad. "What is wrong?"

"I think that was also the first time you took something from the platter before me." Tia said.

"And is that so wrong?"

"No, no. Not wrong, just… off." Tia admitted before taking a muffin of her own. She took a bite and smiled. "And they're as good as always."

"Are you sure? I'm sure this batch is better than this mornings." I commented. Quick Fix seemed to be shuffling in place, like he did not know what to do. "Is there something amiss Quick Fix?"

"It's, that, I…um, haven't been dismissed yet." Quick Fix said nervously.

"Oh, if that's all, then you are dismissed Quick Fix. But one thing first." I said as I gestured him to my side. "I think you're right on the unnecessary arrangement. Tell your father not to worry next time."

"You heard that?" Quick Fix said, a bit shocked as he backed away.

"You would be amazed how sharp your hearing becomes in the quiet of night." I grinned.

"W-Well, thank you Princess Luna. I'll be sure to tell him." Quick Fix said hastily as he backed away for a second time.

"What was all that about?" Tia asked, looking genuinely confused.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a few words of wisdom. I do have those, you know." I smiled as I went back to my muffin.

…

After our meal, Tia and I said our goodnights and headed our separate ways. She to her room, I to the raising grounds. I could tell that the season was changing now more than ever because there were more and more ponies walking the hallways as I was. For the majority of the time I had been here, there had only been an occasional pony or two as well as the patrols.

Yet now there seemed to be activity going on as well. Most of it faint and of ponies turning in for the night, but I was able to say my farewells, even trying to pick up a few names here and there as I passed by half open doors and groups of ponies. I figured knowing all of the ponies of Canterlot was as small a goal as I was going to get to learn these ponies names and personalities.

I was so preoccupied with my thoughts; I almost bumped into the white unicorn ahead of me at the Raising Grounds.

"Oh, excuse me." I said out of instinct.

"No, excuse me Princess Luna." Shining Armor said in return as he backed out of my way.

"Shining Armor? Why are you here again?" I asked as I approached the stage.

"No reason really, I guess." He sighed.

"And I can tell that you're lying. A captain shouldn't do that." I said as I turned to him.

"No, really it's nothing. I don't even know why I'm here. I really should just leave." Shining Armor said as he turned to leave.

"Oh no you're not." I said as I jumped in front of the colt. "You have something on your mind and you need someone to talk to. You're staying right here until I'm done raising the night. Am I understood?"

"Yes Ma'am!" Shining Armor gave a sharp salute.

"Good. Now, excuse me for a moment." With that, I proceeded with the regular procedures, raising the moon, making sure the stars were in alignment, and that nothing catastrophic had happened since yesterday.

"All right, my job is done, now, let us hear of your problem." I said as I came down to the awaiting unicorn.

"Um, sure, I guess." Shining Armor looked around anxiously.

"Would a change a scenery help your nerves Shining Armor?"

"I believe they would." He confirmed.

"Would the garden be appropriate enough?" I suggested.

"I think that will be fine." Shining Armor said absently. I think I now know how Quick Fix felt today before dinner. I sighed in frustration and levitated the unicorn, and in comparison with the moon, he was nothing.

"Whoa! Princess, what are you doing?" Shining Armor asked in a panic.

"I am getting your attention and getting us to the garden." I stated as I spread my wings and took off from the Raising Grounds. Not a minute later, I placed Shining Armor in the Garden as I set down next to him.

"Some warning would be appreciated next time."

"And your focus would be appreciated now. Now, what is bothering you so much?"

"Well, I did as you suggested and I made some time to get a mirror-to-mirror contact spell working so that I could talk to Twily, and I explained how Cadence had been acting."

"I see no problem so far."

"The problem was, was that Twilight called spike to call her friends to be ready for another changeling invasion. And before I could calm her down, her side became unstable and cut off."

"Oh dear, and I was only kidding." I mumbled.

"What was that Princess?"

"Nothing, nothing. Have you talked to Cadence about it?"

"That's kind of why I was just wandering. Cadence came into our room as Twilight started to list her newest 'Anti-Changeling Plans', and she took offence and decided to not talk to me by kicking me out of the room."

"Honestly, that child." I sighed. "Alright. I think I can see where this is a problem. No doubt Twilight Sparkle has already sent a letter to our sister explaining the 'situation'. Whether she has read it or not is a bit out of our hooves. When would you be expecting your sister Shining Armor?"

"Probably no more than a day. If she honestly thinks I'm in trouble, I don't doubt she'd be here in a second. I know I would do the same for her."

"Unless otherwise brainwashed." I smiled.

"Yeah, or something like that." He chuckled uncomfortably. "Say, Princess Luna? Would you tell me if I'm being mind controlled again?"

"You can't be serious!" I said, aghast.

"I don't know, I defended the queen changeling and thought everything was normal, what if it's happening again?"

"If it were happening again, don't you think the thought of mind control would be wiped from you?"

Shining Armor began to respond, but stopped. He than began to chuckle in a normal fashion. "I guess you're right Princess. I don't think anypony would leave rebellious thoughts like that."

"Which just leads back to your sporadic wife." I pointed out. "Do you think anything's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. She might just be in a mood, being mind controlled herself. Or maybe she's pre-" And just as Shining Armor was speaking, the sound of rapid hoof beats down the halls. The urgency of the sound caught both the captain's and my own attention. We trotted over to the nearest hall, just to see a light blue pony dash by. The hoof beats suddenly stopped and came back toward us.

As the mare came back to the entrance to the garden, her silver mane seemed to have a flow as a soft breeze was passing through it. I also noticed her cutie mark to be a five point star wand with a lighter blue wisp flowing behind it in a crescent shape. I just stared at the new pony.

This was one pony I did know, and it was thanks to Twilight Sparkle.

"There you are Princess Luna, I thought I saw you fly off this way." Trixie said. "I, Trixie, am here to be your willing and loyal pupil."


	5. Chapter 5

**The First Knight:**

"Trixie?"

"Yes?"

"As in, 'The Great and Powerful Trixie'? That Trixie?" I asked, looking down upon the unicorn.

"Ah, you heard of that." Trixie seemed to become a bit nervous. "Well, that. You see Princess, that was a _long_ time ago."

"Uh huh." I said, still not to satisfied.

"What's wrong Princess?" Shining Armor asked.

"Shining Armor, do you know of a project of mine I started recently?" I asked the colt, not taking my eyes off the smaller unicorn.

"I think I have. Something about teaching your own classes or some such?"

"Or some such. The thing is, what I know of Mrs. Trixie here and of what I'm planning to teach, the two images just don't match."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, from one of Twilight Sparkle's reports to my sister, Mrs. Trixie is a boastful, arrogant, and belittling unicorn. None of these qualities are suitable for this course of work."

"But Princess Luna…" Trixie started, but stopped as I hardened my gaze. She gulped and began again. "Princess Luna, with all do respect, that was _quite_ a while ago. After that…scene…in Ponyville, I learned my own lesson in humility. I wasn't at all as great as I thought I was and came to Canterlot for a second wind."

"Right, and the second you heard of my offer, you accepted immediately. And that sort of recklessness is also damaging to the course. Part of signing up was that ponies needed to think of whether they should or should not participate." I critiqued.

"But I didn't want any other pony to take the spot first!" Trixie complained.

"First? I think you might be mistaken Mrs. Trixie. There is no first or last to this course."

"You mean, I _won't_ be the only one being taught by you Princess?" Trixie said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"I have yet to decide whether you are staying or not." I restated.

"I don't see a problem here." Shining Armor said, gaining both my and Trixie's attention. "If she thinks she can take the course, I think you have the obligation to see her through for a bit to see if she can truly stay."

"But Shining Armor, you heard-"

"What I heard was a slightly biased report by my sister. Twilight does have a tendency to look at things in a harsh light, and she hardly ever relents on those points. Sometimes it can be a good thing, and at other times, it closes her off. Besides, how long ago was that report written?"

"Quite a while ago, why?"

"And in any of that time, could she have changed?"

"Well, maybe. But those types of qualities are a bit hard to disregard." I slowed down and considered the unicorn before me. She did genuinely seem to want to be here for the class and not some sort of prestige. But then again, it may all be an act to learn my secrets and take my place, like Celestia did. I shook my head yet again and sighed. "I guess there is no harm in letting her take a few of the preparatory steps."

"Thank you Princess! I'm sure I won't let you down!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Thank Shining Armor for persuading me." I said as I walked past the smaller unicorn. "Now follow me, both of you."

"Both of us Princess?" Shining Armor asked. "Why do you need me?"

"Well, you're currently not doing anything else and I need somepony else to help give me some pointers in teaching. And who better that a captain of a guard?" I smiled.

Shining Armor simply sighed. "Why not? It's not like I had anything _better_ to do tonight."

"So, this means I can stay as your student?" Trixie asked as she caught up with me.

"For now. I still need to make sure that you are fully capable of handling this kind of work."

"How hard can it be? Your just going to be showing me the darkness and I have to find a way to deal with it. What's so difficult about that?"

"Is that all you think you'll be doing?" I looked down at the mare. "That is a very generalized summery. Not only will you have to learn how to deal with this darkness, but you will have to deal with your own and other's as well. None of this will be easy."

"Are you sure? Your own description doesn't sound that hard either Princess." Trixie said, looking up to me. I smiled and decided that a small test of character would be appropriate. And if I remembered the report correctly enough, this should do it.

I began to weave my magic and cast it upon the unicorn. She immediately stopped and looked up in fear.

"Run!" She yelled as she started to gallop away. As she passed by Shining Armor, he looked after her and back to me. I just shook my head and stopped the pony. She tried to keep running, but her feet were already a foot above the ground. Trixie kept panicking, but as she looked back, she stopped and looked confused. I brought her back to my side and set her down.

"What was that about?" Shining Armor asked as he walked up beside us. "Why were you in such a panic?" He directed at Trixie.

"Didn't you see the Ursa Minor break through the ceiling?" Trixie asked as she pointed up. Shining Armor looked up, even more confused. Then he looked at me.

"That was mean of you Princess."

"But necessary." I said in return. Trixie now looked concerned and confused.

"What is he talking about? I knew I saw an Ursa Minor bash through the roof. I heard it coming and everything!"

"And that might be considered your first lesson in the darkness of yourself." I said. "You see Trixie, darkness does not simply refer to the dark of the night, but also the negativity of everypony. I conjured that Ursa Minor to remind you of your own past that may haunt you."

"But that was unfair!" Trixie complained. "I wasn't ready for it."

"And do you expect every little thing will wait for you to be 'ready for it'?"

"Well, no, but this is supposed to be a class!"

"A class on the unexpected. When you look into a dark room, do you know what's in it? When you meet a pony, do you know who they are?"

"Not all the time, but-"

"No buts. This is what you are going to be learning about and dealing with. Are you sure you are ready?"

"Well, not like this, but-"

"I said no buts. If you don't think that you can be ready for this, I think you should rethink doing this."

"Now Princess Luna." Shining Armor cut in. "I think you're being to hard on her. You already have a negative view of her and you're not giving her a chance to prove herself. I admit she was taking the course for granted, but from any description of what you are trying to do, it's hard to grasp such a concept as darkness."

I stared at both unicorns for a moment, and the sighed. "I suppose you're right Shining Armor. I'm getting ahead of myself. But this does count as the introductory class. Learning to deal with the darkness of yourself and those around you. Trixie, I apologize for such a petty act."

"Don't apologize Princess, I'm just wondering how I didn't see you cast that illusion." Trixie said. "I mean, when I see any other unicorn use magic, their horn always glows, but I didn't see you do anything."

"Ah, that would be a sort of camouflage sub-spell. It helps when having to catch opponents off guard."

"Really? Why would you have to do that?"

"Long story short, Discord." I answered shortly.

"That doesn't explain much." Trixie huffed.

"And it needn't." I responded. "Now, here we are." I said as I opened a door on the right side of the hall.

"Here?" Trixie asked as she walked in. "It's barely any better than a broom closet!"

"And were you expecting anything better?"

She was indeed right, there might have been enough room for ten ponies to fit in here normally, not to mention the space taken up by the few rickety desks. The chalkboard looked like it hadn't been washed since it first came into the room, not to mention the sagging bookshelf of molding scrolls.

"In short, yes!" Trixie complained. "You're a Princess, Princess Luna! Surely you could have had any room in the entire castle."

"And right you are Trixie. But as I said before, you can't always tell everything from a glance." I said as I began to cast my magic once again. As my magic spread over the desks and bookshelf, they immediately stood straight up and the moldy smell disappeared. The room grew to ten times it's size and a grand desk with a burning candle at each end appeared in front of the fresh, clean chalkboard. I looked to Trixie, and noticed that both her and Shining Armor's mouths were hanging open.

"Let this be your second lesson. Darkness is not always prominent, but it can still hide the world around you." I said as I stepped up to the grand desk. "Now Trixie, if you will take a seat."

"Um, I would Love to Princess." Trixie said hesitantly as she approached one of the desks. "But, aren't these desks from, uh, fillymetary school?"

"Indeed they are." I smiled.

"Could I have a seat a bit less, uh, embarrassing?" Trixie looked up to me.

"Why ever so?"

"I feel like I'm back in magic kindergarten." Trixie mumbled.

"Oh, why sure then." I said as I weaved my spell again. The desk promptly reverted back to its rickety form.

"Um, Princess? This wasn't what I meant." Trixie said, concerned.

"It wasn't?" I asked innocently. "Well, it's something different, right?"

"But, that's not what I, but, but…" Trixie blabbered, looking severely concerned.

"Princess." Shining Armor said warningly.

"Oh, let me have my fun." I sighed, and then cleared my throat, gaining my student's attention. "And let that be a third lesson. Darkness takes advantage of every weakness, from a simple lax of wording, to major indecisions."

"But how is this a lesson?" Trixie asked, now fully paying attention. "All I did was ask for a different seat."

"And I provided one, albeit not one you wanted. I may have made just a simple prank out of it, but you never know how Darkness may take advantage of such openings. Now," I said as I changed Trixie's chair back to normal. "For this night's lesson, I have one simple task for you."

"Just one?" Trixie asked hesitantly.

"Yes, just one." I smiled. I took an inkwell, a feather, and roll of parchment off of the shelf and placed them upon her desk. "I want you to write about yourself."

"What?" Shining Armor and Trixie asked.

"That is all." I continued. "The point of this is to see how you see yourself. How you see yourself greatly impact how you affect and are affected by darkness. As you write, I want you to remember your three lessons thus far. Recognize your own darkness, think of everything as a potential, and darkness takes advantage."

"So what do you want to know about me Princess?" Trixie asked as she took her seat.

"Everything, everything you can remember."

"Isn't that a bit much Princess?" Shining Armor asked. "Even I can't recall everything I've ever done."

"And she doesn't need to." I said. "Just everything she _can_ remember. And from there, we will move on."

"But Princess Luna, it'll take forever to write such a report." Trixie looked up at me.

"So take it a bit at a time. I still do have a job to do while you write."

"So this is just busy work then." Trixie huffed.

"Yes and no. Everypony who takes this course will have to do this as well, but yes, this is meant to keep you busy while I'm away."

"So why should I be here then?" Trixie demanded as she slammed her hoofs on her desk, but immediately shrank back. I just sighed.

"While the beginning might be boring, would you like to learn how to see the true natures of ponies, or make those ponies listen to you?"

"Well, yes." Trixie mumbled.

"Then you first need to train yourself." I said as I got up. "And that begins with understanding yourself. So you better start." Trixie began writing and I left the room. Shining Armor followed after me.

"Is that really it Princess?" He asked. "And if it is, why did you ask me here?"

"I want you to keep an eye on her while I'm gone. I'm sorry to do this on short notice, but can you please do it for now. I still need to find a pony to look over the students while I'm gone on nightly patrol. I had thought that I would have a night or two to find somepony, but Trixie was just to eager. I promise this wont be for more than tonight."

"All right Princess, but please be quick with your rounds. Cadence might have kicked me out, but that doesn't mean I don't want some sleep tonight."

"I'll be fast, I promise." I said as I spread my wings and took off. As the castle grew smaller into the distance, I sighed in relief. I really needed to clear my mind.

I really hadn't planned on how much strain having a class might bring. Or maybe Shining Armor was right and I was just being biased. What I had said wasn't a wrong judgment, but holding Trixie to her past discretions would be hypocritical. And then there was actually teaching her.

I hadn't come up with any solid plans for the students, and Trixie showing up on the first night didn't help. Really what she was doing was a stall tactic. And then there was finding a suitable helper.

I couldn't ask anypony of Canterlot to give up on their current job for this, and finding one of a suitable standard would be hard in the first place. As I mulled over what my next move for the class, I found myself instinctively flying over the Everfree Forest. Without a second thought, I headed over to the old castle.

I landed outside the front, and it hadn't changed since yesterday. Not a brick was out of place. It seemed somewhat odd, seeing as nearly every tree in the surrounding area was different now. Some of the trees were in a different position; others were a separate species entirely. Maybe the castle was still a source of order in such a chaotic forest, but the stability of the old castle made me smile.

That was, until I heard crashing stones coming from inside. It might have been nothing but a wild beast, but I still felt a connection with this place, and any should fear destroying something precious of mine.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Second Knight:**

As I entered the old castle, all seemed quiet. I waited in the front entrance until I heard another stone break. It sounded like a deliberate throw as opposed to one simply falling, so somepony had to be here. Now was just to make sure they were aware of what they were doing. It could always just be some random creature that wandered in for the night. As I followed the noise ever closer, I found that I was nearing the old Elements room.

As I was about to round the final corner, a rock flew in front of me and smashed into the wall. I also heard a malicious voice follow.

"And _that's_ for ruining a great friendship with your constant bugging!" A female voice snarled. I took one of the larger pieces from the ground and examined it.

Upon its face, it was engraved with the old emblem for the Element of Laughter, a laughing pony. The rocks that were being smashed were the ones I had fashioned.

"I saw that, unicorn!" The voice called. "Show yourself now before I come over there myself!" I lay the rock fragment down and strode around the corner to see who would disrespect such a place as this. As it were, both parties were in for a surprise.

"Princess Luna?"

"A griffin?"

There before me, stood one of the most ragged griffins I had ever seen. She had obviously not groomed herself in the longest while, which surprised me, for the griffins I knew took pride in their appearance. What I saw next equally shocked and enraged me.

The griffin was standing in front of the Element's stand, with all but one of the orbs destroyed, scattered around the room. As I looked closer, the remaining orb had the old insignia of Loyalty, a shield, much like Shining Armor's.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing here, griffin?"

"I could ask you the same, Princess. What business do you have in a ruin like this?"

"This happened to be my home." I began.

"So much for house keeping." The griffin scoffed.

"And I like to visit every now and then." I glared. "I ask again, what are you doing here."

"Just passing by." The griffin said nonchalantly as she examined her talons. "I saw a place to crash for the night and made myself welcome. Who would care about this old place anyways? And then I found this." The griffin spat as she looked back at the stand. "I know my history well enough to know what this is, and some idiot decided to put some fake Elements of Harmony in their places. So I decided to let off some steam."

"Well, for your information, _I_ put those orbs there in remembrance." I stated as I marched up to the griffin. "And I would appreciate it if you would leave before destroying the last one."

"Fine, I was going to anyways. I thought of starting with that one first but I just couldn't bring myself to." The griffin huffed as she began to leave. But this made me curious. If she knew these were just simple rocks, why couldn't she destroy the Element of Loyalty?

"Why couldn't you come to destroy Loyalty?" I asked. The griffin stopped and looked back at me. She looked conflicted.

"Just…just for no matter how much I hate her, I kind of feel like that would be the last straw for Rainbow Dash." She sighed. I began to sympathize, but she immediately stamped on some of the remaining rocks. "But that doesn't mean I can forgive the pathetic ponies who stole her from me."

Why was this feeling familiar? Where had I read about griffins recently? It was after the hunting ground dispute between them and the trolls, but where? And why just this situation?

"So you have a personal connection with Rainbow Dash?" I inquired. I didn't know the current Bearers all that well, but I would not let anypony with a connection to them become a hindrance. Especially if she would do something much worse than smash a few simple rocks.

"Yeah, but why do you care? You just want me out of your pathetic and rotting castle, right?" the griffin sneered. "It's not like you or anyone else really cares."

"That depends greatly on who you're talking to."

"And you wouldn't be one of them. Why should you? You're royalty after all. Even better, your royalty of a completely different species. My problems are of no concern of yours in any manner."

"Then how about relations of nations then?" I proposed as I walked beside her. "We can start with your appearance."

"What's wrong with the way I look?" She shot at me.

"To put it bluntly, you look like a wreck." Stated simply as I took in just how unkempt her fur was.

"Did it ever occur to a high and mighty like yourself I _prefer_ to look like this?"

"Please, that's your pride talking." I said as I pulled a few twigs out of her back and hovered them in front of her.

"So I haven't had time to clean up, so what?"

"A griffin could only get like this after many moons of neglect. If you had been keeping proper care, these shouldn't have gotten stuck in the first place."

"So I've been traveling for a bit. But why do you even care? I'm not anyone that would matter to the Griffin High Council; you should just get back to whatever you were doing and let me get to sleep. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll even take a bath."

"You know, you have got to be one of the most depressing beings I have ever met."

"I was going more for annoyance to get you out of my hair." The griffin shot.

"And you'll have to do more than take a bath do that." I shot back.

"Nice." The griffin said with a small smirk. "But in all honesty, what do I need to do to make you leave?"

"Me leave? I thought the entire point of this conversation was to make you leave."

"Yeah, and great job, I'll do it in the morning, _after_ I've slept. Now will you please leave?"

"Fine, but I will be back tomorrow night to make sure you're gone." I said as I began to leave the way I came.

"Thank you!" The griffin sighed irritably.

Honestly, even for Rainbow Dash to be the Element of Loyalty, I wouldn't even know how she could deal with such a griffin. She practically brushed off any attempt at help. She couldn't possibly be any more prideful. And if I couldn't say any better, I would think she needs to learn to be a better friend.

Friend. Friendship. Twilight Sparkle's reports!

That's where I remember griffins! And she already confirmed to be connected with Rainbow Dash. If I remember it right, that griffin's name was…was… ah! Curse my memory. It definitely started with a G.

Giselle? No. Grizelda? Possibly, but didn't quite fit. Gilmer? No. Gilda! That was it. So this is what happened to her. A bit sad really, of all the places she could wind up, it was out here in a forest. The Everfree Forest no less. But why? It made no sense why she simply wouldn't simply return home.

"One more question though." I said as I turned back around.

"Ugh! What now?" Gilda groaned as she faced me.

"Why aren't you home? Why are you here in the Everfree Forest?"

"Does it matter how I answer?"

"It does in fact." That seemed to shock Gilda a bit.

"Really? Fine then, I decided to go on a hike and lost myself in the beauty of nature. Before I knew it, it was dark and I found this castle. Happy?"

"Horse apples." I looked down upon the stunned griffin. "Don't think I don't know anything about griffins. I have to deal with them constantly, and I know more than anything about a griffin's pride. And one thing you pride yourselves over more than anything is your ability to fly."

"But we do walk." Gilda tried to counter point.

"Yes, but for extended periods of time, like a stroll? Griffins only do that when immediately necessary."

"What? You don't think a griffin can appreciate beauty?"

"Honestly? Not really." I said plainly. Harsh truths always seemed to get through to griffins faster. "The only time I've seen a griffin 'appreciate beauty' was when he was appraising a troll's club. And that was only to flatter him. No, I think that little 'stroll' of yours would have to have been a bit forced."

"Well, whoopee for you. You find me suspicious. You're not the first, and probably not the last. But please, just leave me in peace." Gilda said as she turned to walk away.

"Oh no you don't." I said as I cut her off. "I know _that _look. That's the look of bitterness."

"And again I ask why you care?" Gilda snapped at me. "I already told you I'm no one important and that you shouldn't bother, so why is a princess like you keep pestering me."

"Because I know that look, and it won't lead to anything good. So tell me, why were you forced to walk?"

"You want to know why?" Gilda started to raise her voice. "You really want to know? Fine! I got chased out of my home! Happy? Now leave me alone." Gilda said as she spread her wings to take off.

"Oh no you don't." I closed her wings and locked her feet in place. "If you had to be chased out, I want to hear it. Griffins never act so rashly without reason."

"Let ….ugh… me go you…mrf… stupid pony!" Gilda tried to bite me. Glad to say, I was well enough away.

"And none of that." I sealed her mouth closed. "Now, the next words out of your mouth better be telling me why griffins, one of the most prideful races in Equestria, would go to such lengths as to drive out one of their own." I glared down at her.

She struggled for a bit, trying to lift her claws, spread her wings, or even open her mouth. I could keep this up all night if I had to. If this were to lead somewhere, I would know about it immediately. The longer she struggled, the easier it was going to be for me to restrain her. Then Gilda did something I truly did not expect from a griffin.

She started to cry. And these were not false tears; these tears made her stop struggling all together and simply lie down. I was just so shocked by this reaction that I simply stood there over her, motionless in awe. Eventually, I lay in front of Gilda and undid the binding upon her mouth.

"I did not mean to be so harsh child, I merely wanted to know."

"Well, grand way about doing that princess." Gilda shot through her sorrow. "But hey, what else can I do now? It's not as though anyone would care what you would do to me here."

"You keep saying that, that nopony would care. Why do you say such things? Surely-"

"It's because it's true!" Gilda snapped. "From since I was a hatchling my parents detested me. As soon as I was old enough, they shipped me off to every 'flight camp' they could think of to keep me out of the nest. I detested each and every one of them. All of the rules, the strict schedule, and those horrible meals. My parents always said 'it was the last one', but then as soon as I came home, they would just ship me off again. When they finally found out I had passed every camp imaginable did they finally say that they didn't want me anymore. When I said I wanted to stay, they called the Wing Guards on me!"

"And then you ran here." I summed up.

"Yeah, that's right. I couldn't even grab any of my things before I had to run for it. And that was about a week ago. But once Wing Guards get called, they don't let up until they find you."

"For what?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "You're out of their hair, why continue to track you?"

"You said it yourself, we're prideful. They won't let anyone get away, no matter how small the call is. Heh, I guess they shouldn't have sent me to all of those flight camps." Gilda chuckled. "But now, I guess you'll turn me in, for relation purposes, of course." She waved, and then realized I had let go of her.

"No, I don't think that's necessary. In fact, I think you'll do perfectly to help me with a project of mine."

"Oh no, I'm not becoming some lab rat of yours." Gilda said, backing up away from me.

"Oh not at all. All I want you to do is help me overlook a class." That made Gilda just stop and look at me.

"A class?"

"Just a class." I nodded.

"And why would I take you up on such an offer?" Gilda asked, still looking very skeptical.

"Because one, you'll have a place to stay. And two, I can make sure the Wing Guard leaves you alone."

"Are you sure you can do that? Ponies don't have all that much sway on the Griffin High Council."

"Oh, I'm sure I've made a few, eh hem, 'friends' in the ranks. A suggestion here, an order there, and you'll be fine. All I ask is that you help me with a student."

"And what do I really have to do?"

"Just stand in the room with her." I smiled.

"And that's all? I just need to be in the same room with her?"

"Yep."

"Consider it a done deal." Gilda held out one of her front claws. "My name's Gilda by the way."

"Oh, I know." I smiled as I placed my hoof in the stunned griffin's claw. "Don't think I haven't done some of my own reading."

"So, how _do_ you know of me?"

"A simple report from Rainbow Dash." I fabricated. Recent reports had been coming in from all six of the Bearers, even Twilight Sparkle's assistant dragon Spike, but the one I referred to was when Twilight Sparkle was the only one reporting. Gilda didn't need to know just then though.

"R-Really? She actually wrote to you, a-about me?" Gilda seemed to shy away.

"Well, my sister is the one who collects them, but I read through them. She did report some, ah, rough behavior, but I'm sure we can work on it."

"Work on what exactly?"

"The way you respond to ponies. You need to learn to open up a bit, instead of penting it all up for some innocent rocks." I smiled as I collected all of the fragments from around the room and placed them under the pedestal. "But enough time for that later, I believe I am long overdue to relive my temporary support." I said as I began to leave.

"Princess Luna, are you sure it's okay? I mean, to come with you to Canterlot?" Gilda asked. I looked back to see her taking one last look at the old Element of Loyalty.

"Trust me Gilda, if anyone knows who should belong there, I'm one of them. Now come, we have a bit of a flight ahead of us."

"Bet you I can make it there before you!" Gilda called as she ran past me.

"You don't even know where you're going!" I called after her, chasing her out into the old courtyard and into the night sky.


	7. Chapter 7

**Luna's Knight:**

"Ha! I knew I could beat you here!" Gilda called triumphantly as she landed in the castle gardens.

"You…only had…a head start." I huffed as I landed beside her. I knew I hadn't flown that fast in a while, but maybe some exercising with Gilda wouldn't be such a bad idea. "Now, if you stop that fist shaking, I'll take you to where we'll be studying." I glared at the griffin who was shaking her talons together to an imaginary crowd.

"Well, I'm _sorry_ Princess." Gilda said without a hint of apology. "But it's not everyday you beat royalty in a race." Thankfully, she did stop the act and followed behind me as we made our way toward the classroom. "Now, you're _positive_ that all I have to do is stay in this classroom with one student?"

"More or less, for now. What I really need is a reliable eye while I do my nightly duties."

"So I'm a glorified babysitter, huh?"

"Would you rather go back to the forest?"

"No ma'am." Gilda shook her head.

"Then we should have no problems then." I smiled. This was working out better than expected. I had a diligent worker under my wing that only had to work on my time and nopony else's. She wouldn't be going away anytime soon because I was providing for her. And now I had the power to blackmail her to do whatever pleased me.

I stopped in the hall and just looked around. I couldn't feel any dark magic or malevolent presence, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with the castle. I might want to bring that up with Tia in the morning.

"Is it somewhere around here?" Gilda asked, looking around. "'Cause I don't see anything that could pass as a classroom."

"No Gilda, it's still a bit away, but there just seems to be something wrong around here." I mused. "But I might just be acting paranoid."

"You're telling me." Gilda huffed and continued walking. "If you ask me, being up all night all the time might have made you start going coocoo."

"Oh? And why do you say that?"

" 'Cause you're hiring me to look over ponies." Gilda smiled.

"I don't see you having anything better to do."

"Well, that's true, I guess." Gilda fell silent. Luckily, the uncomfortable atmosphere didn't last long.

"Princess Luna? Is that you?" I heard a drowsy Shining Armor ask. I picked up my pace a bit and came around to find Shining Armor leaning out of the door to the classroom. "Oh good, my relief is here. Well, I guess she is, right?"

"Yes, you won't have to do this anymore than tonight Shining Armor. Gilda will be taking over from now on."

"Well, that's good to hear." Shining Armor yawned. "Then maybe she can find our good Miss Trixie's bed." He said as he led us into the room. It was just as I had left it, but the chair Trixie was sitting in had a roll of parchment falling over the side and a quill beside it. She also had a blanket draped over her. "I must have fallen asleep for a second, because I woke up to the quill dropping. I moved the well before that came next, but she's been sleeping peacefully since I started watching her."

I walked up to Trixie to find that she was indeed sleeping soundly, and I doubt any of my attempts to wake her would be futile to rouse her for long. I picked up the roll and began to scan over its contents.

"Well, it seems our little unicorn here has quite an impressive memory. She can recall all the way back to causing havoc for her first foal sitter. And it seems like she's gotten to… up to the beginning of elementary school. Was she writing for the whole time?"

"As far as I know." Shining Armor reported. "From the second you left until she fell asleep, that quill just kept on moving."

"Well, she does have diligence going for her." I admitted. "To think she would work until she fell from exhaustion."

"You were doubting her ability to stay your student, that might have been a good incentive." Shining Armor pointed out.

"And she still has a way to go." I sighed. "But, it's not like I expected her to stay up the whole night writing."

"Light weight." Gilda sighed. "Not even able to pull an all nighter. And here I thought all ponies were overly obsessive." Gilda pulled Trixie out of her seat and threw her onto her own back, letting the blanket to fall to the ground. Trixie never even cracked an eye open. "If I'm going to be a babysitter, I might as well put the baby to bed. So, where do I put her?"

"Uhh…" I began to think. I knew the academy didn't have an actual dorm system, so the ponies had to house themselves, but that just made this situation worse. I had no idea where she could possibly live.

"You don't know do you." Gilda asked. "Figures."

"Well, I may not know where she lives, but I can accommodate for her. Come with me." I said as I left the classroom. Gilda and Shining Armor did so. As the door closed behind them I locked the door and cast the same spell to change the room back to its original form. It would be easy to leave it as it was, but the constant drain of magic, however miniscule, could always be fatal.

"If that'll be all, I'll head back to my own room." Shining Armor said, and began to walk off.

"One moment Shining Armor." I said, making the unicorn turn to face me. "Let me send you back, as a token of thanks for looking over Trixie for tonight."

"Princess, you don't have to, it's not that far to my room." Shining Armor said unconvincingly.

"Parish the thought. You look like you would fall asleep half way there. Besides, my teleportation spell is a lot quieter then a creaking door." I smiled. Shining Armor's eyes widened slightly at the prospect of waking Cadence.

"On second thought, maybe I _will_ take you up on your offer." He said sheepishly.

"A very wise decision." I smiled as I lowered my horn to touch the tip of his. I began to weave my spell and create the focal point to just inside his and Cadence's room. Next came the same concealment spell as before I used to scare Trixie, and in a moment, Shining Armor disappeared without a sound.

"If you could do that for him, why can't you do it for this girl? Or why not just put her where we're supposedly going?" Gilda huffed as she readjusted Trixie on her back.

"Because I knew where I was sending him. She, on the other hand, has no destination in which I could other wise put her. It's also near impossible to make it pinpoint accurate, so it's better when the teleported is _awake_. It _is_ impossible to put the teleported in a space smaller than them, even if the space is flexible, like a blanket. And no, she is not sleeping without one, she'll catch something otherwise."

"You have fur, why do you need blankets? I really don't get it." Gilda sighed.

"It goes from pony to pony. But I'm not taking a chance of her getting sick on my watch. Now come on." I finished as I began walking.

"Fine, be all mysterious why don't you." Gilda said as she followed after me.

"That is a part of my job you know." I smiled as I looked back at her. If I hadn't known better, this scene would look absolutely beautiful. Gilda was constantly checking on Trixie to make sure she was ok in the position she was in, and Trixie was absolutely at peace with the world. If I didn't know their personalities and situation, I would even call it adorable.

"Princess, can you stop smiling like that? It's kinda creeping me out." Gilda said, looking a bit disgusted.

"Oh, sorry, it's just been a while since I've seen something so… touching." I said as I looked back to where I was going.

"Touching? I'm just carrying a lazy unicorn, how is that touching?" Gilda questioned.

"You… You just wouldn't understand. It was a long time ago." I said in a tone that made Gilda stay silent. I didn't want to remember him right now. I know this project was supposed to occupy my time, but not with thoughts of old…friends.

"Fine." Gilda said after a minute. "So where are we going exactly?"

"Right here." I said as I walked up to the room's door.

"This…doesn't look like a normal door." Gilda said as she looked up at the midnight black door beside me.

"You think?" I said as I opened the door. "This is my room."

"_You're setting her up here?_" Gilda asked in awe as I walked in, lighting the fireplace.

"Why not? I'm not using right now and she needs it. And I'm not waking up anypony else to disturb them." I said as I turned back to Gilda, who was still standing outside the door.

"I'm sorry Princess, but even this is to much for me. Getting me out of trouble? Fine. Giving me a job to overlook ponies? Great, whatever. But putting a common pony in a royalty's bed? That just crosses a few to many lines, even for me."

"Says who? I make my own choices, and I need to explain to nopony why. Besides, this was caused by my own shortsightedness. And she did work hard, so I do believe Trixie deserves some sort of reward."

"You really are to lenient." Gilda glared at me. "I think we should just get her a regular, empty room, and drop her off for the night."

"And you're thinking to harshly." I said as I lifted Trixie off of her back and directed her over to my bed. I pulled the covers back and laid her down and draped the covers back over her. Trixie adjusted to the new sleeping space and slept on.

I looked back to the door to see Gilda just looking at me dumbfounded. "Well, come in and take a seat. It's not like we have much else to do."

"I'm still not so sure this is a good idea Princess." Gilda said hesitantly.

"Please, just call me Luna right now. There's no need to be formal." I said as I took my own seat on a cushion. "And stop acting so indecisive, it's not like a griffin to hesitate."

"But, I really don't have the-" She stopped talking as I picked her up, placed her in a seat across from me and closed the door.

"There, stop acting timid and suck it up. Honestly, what happened to your attitude?" I asked, as I looked the griffin in the eye. " You were so crass and direct at the old castle and in the classroom, but the second we get here, you act like a timid foal."

"I'd rather you not compare me to a pony." Gilda grumbled as she looked away.

"Why so?" I asked, intrigued to see an introverted griffin. "What shall I compare your behavior to? You have to admit, this mood swing is quite erratic." Which just made me think back to Cadence's current situation. I immediately threw that possibly out the window.

"Don't you think I know that?" Gilda shot, reverting back to her original attitude. "It's one of the reasons I'm a disgrace to my family."

"Really?" I asked, quite confused. Having a personality seemed like quite a ridiculous reason to be a disgrace.

"It's a long story." Gilda grumbled, trying to dismiss the subject.

"And I don't see us going anywhere soon." I said.

"And you'll keep me here forcefully if I try to leave, aren't you?" Gilda eyed me.

"My you catch on fast." I smiled, making Gilda sigh.

"You remember how I said my parents detested me, so much so to keep me out of the house as much as possible? Well, it was so they wouldn't have to be associated to me on sight. I was to 'good' and 'soft' to be their daughter. So I was ousted to become more 'firm' and 'more like the family'."

"That sounds…rough." I commented, trying to wrap my head around being ostracized for being nice. Sure, griffins weren't _known_ for their kind nature, but I knew they had it.

"You can't begin to know. At first, I didn't know why, but after going through the first two 'camps' with rotten luck, I started to wise up to what my parents were doing. They were toughening me up to be like them. And sure, I guess I _was_ a bleeding heart in my younger years, but the amount my parents wanted me to give up was, well, to much."

"But somewhere in there you met Rainbow Dash." I prompted, which gained me a small chuckle.

"Yeah, in the time between gooey me and 'tough' me. She was so rash, first day we get done with training; she flies up in front of everyone and challenges them to a race. Nearly everyone was dead tired, but there was still me and a few others who took her up on it. Dash and I tied for first, and she just couldn't take it, so day after day, she challenged me, never once relenting." Gilda began to smile. "And somewhere in there, we became friends. We started hanging out outside of racing, and even pulled pranks on the other campers. Dash was having the time of her life, and I was having fun with her." Gilda sighed dejectedly. "And then that camp ended. I never saw her after that until…one day."

"When you saw her with a different set of friends." I surmised.

"Yeah, you could say that." Gilda mumbled. "By then I really was just like the rest of my family, so things didn't go well. But even though we left on a bit of a sour note, she's still my friend."

"But how did you know that Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty if you hadn't seen her since camp?"

"Your return didn't just stir up the land of Equestria you know." Gilda looked at me full on. "There was an immediate rally of the griffins, in case you were really serious on keeping the world in darkness."

"To take me down I suppose."

"Right. When news came around of how you were…um…subdued, I picked up on Dash's name. And after my…encounter, I started to question, how I was living my life. So now, I don't know, I just can't seem to keep up the tough act."

"Well, you really shouldn't need it." I sighed, staring into the fire. "You know, griffin's weren't always so… rough."

"What are you talking about? Of course we have, have you seen where we live?"

"Gilda, there's a difference between tough and arrogant." I looked at her. She seemed a bit offended, but seemed to want to hear what I had to say. "I once had a friend. He was a griffin. It was before I was banished. His name was Godrick, and he might be what made me what I am today."

"I've never heard of a Godrick. And if he was such a griffin to be your friend, I'm sure the Council would have records."

"That's because Discord didn't want Godrick to be remembered." I began.


	8. Chapter 8

**Knights Past:**

"What do you mean _Discord_ didn't want him to be remembered?" Gilda looked at me confused. "You remember him, why don't you just write about him, or, you know, _tell_ people. You know, maybe some _griffins_ who would like to know someone as famous as to stand next to you and Celestia?"

"Don't you think I've tried?" I sighed. "Because I have. It's just that nopony has ever remembered after a day of the telling, and the scrolls _always_ disappear."

"Well, you're already telling me, so go on." Gilda said, placing her head in her claws. She genuinely looked interested.

I just sighed again. It had been futile the last dozen times; I guess there was no reason in _not_ telling her. "So Gilda, you said you knew the Elements of Harmony, correct?"

"Yeah, they're some magic mumbo jumbo made by the ponies to bring peace to war and harmony to chaos."

"Not quite." I corrected. "The fact is, nopony really knows who _made_ the Elements, just who can wield them."

"But there are books on it and everything!" Gilda proclaimed. "If what you say is true, then what about Dash and the other's right now? Or when you and Princess Celestia used the to beat Discord?"

"That's just it, that's the only story we can tell to everypony."

"Huh?"

"The truth is I only wielded one Element to beat Discord, as well as Tia. The others were handled by Godrick, Taurus, and Thorn."

"Who are those three?"

"A Griffin, Minotaur, and Dragon. Holders of Loyalty, Honesty, and Generosity."

"But, that just leaves…" Gilda was looking more and more confused.

"Kindness for Tia, and Laughter for myself." I finished.

Gilda just looked at me in disbelief. "Are you sure you just haven't gone bonkers? I don't see you as the pranking type."

"Who said anything about pranking? There are more ways to laugh than just for personal amusement." I smiled.

"But that hasn't stopped you, has it?" Gilda asked.

"Not in the slightest. But enough of me, you wanted a story of Godrick." I took a deep breath. "In the time of Discord, when ponies were becoming a thing of myth, Tia and I were trying to find a way to stop Discord's rampant Chaos when we came across the discovery of the Elements of Harmony. As it so happened, we came across another group who had heard rumors of magical, peace bringing artifacts. These were one in the same thing."

"And this new group was lead by Godrick?" Gilda asked.

I just chuckled. "He wished. No, Taurus led them. More for out stubborning the other two than anything else. He was the holder of the element of Honesty when we found them, and it was right to choose him. When it came down to it, a harsh truth was better than a sweet lie." I smiled in remembrance.

"All right, what about Thorn? I wouldn't expect a dragon to fit in with anybody else besides dragons."

"And usually you would be right, but Thorn's mind set was so radically different from the other dragons, that he was outcast. His exile actually lead him to meeting Godrick in the Highlands. Even when Thorn was sickly and had nothing to give, he gave Godrick the scales off his back to Godrick to save his town."

"Wait, there was a fire in the Highlands?" Gilda asked.

"Well, that's how they told of their meeting." I said.

"But, that's always been an old legend." Gilda mumbled.

"What was?" I asked, curious to think there was any record of my old friends.

"There's an old myth that said, in the time of a great blaze that swept through the Highlands, there was one griffin who charged into every burning house to save every single inhabitant unable to escape. But it was just impossible. The number of accounts of rescues, the griffin would have smoked turkey by the fifth attempt."

"Could you see why Godrick was selected as the bearer of Loyalty?" I smiled. To think there was even a vague reference left. "He was loyal enough to his people to risk his own life for others. And in thanks to Thorn, Godrick opened his home to the dragon, even with the prejudices."

"All right, but you still haven't explained how Discord comes into this." Gilda pointed out. I really didn't want to recount the event, but I had brought it up, and I guess I was going to have to finish it.

"Well, you know how there are six Elements, correct?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Who do you think was the holder of the last Element?" I posed.

Gilda was about to answer, but stopped. She thought, and then counted on her claws. "Um… who?"

"Well, let me give you a hint, I've already mentioned all six partaking in this tale." I smiled as I laid my head down. Gilda seemed to think for a second more before it dawned on her.

"You don't mean… but that doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't it?" I smiled. "What was the one Element lost?"

"The Element of Magic, but that doesn't mean that-"

"And could either I or my sister handle him on our own?"

"But you did!" Gilda exclaimed.

"No, it was his own greed that turned him to stone." I sighed. "Discord held the Element of Magic. We all met him upon the alter that held the Elements. We didn't know he was the cause of all of the Chaos that was reigning through the land, so we ended up befriending him. Little did we know that he didn't care in the least, he was just looking to manipulate the Elements for his own purposes. When he tried to harness the Element of Magic to strengthen himself further, it backfired, turning him to stone the first time."

"But, that doesn't match up at all." Gilda pondered. "I always heard that you and Princess Celestia wielded the Elements against him."

"Remember, that's the only story we could tell." I reminded her. "When Discord saw what was happening to him, he tried to take us down with him." I had to stop as it all came back to me.

The white flashes, Tia's shield going up, Godrick, Taurus, and Thorn running toward us. I shook my head to make the scene go away.

"Princess Luna?" Gilda said, obviously concerned for me.

I looked back at her and smiled. "What did I say? Just call me Luna. I'm fine, though."

"You don't need to go on if it's too hard." Gilda said.

"No, no, I brought it up, and you're just going to forget anyways. I might as well finish now." I cleared my throat. "What happened afterwards happened very fast. Discord was very angry that his reign was coming to an end, so he wanted us to come to an end as well. His magic was to far spread to overpower Tia, so she created a shield around herself and I. The others… weren't as fortunate. They were caught in Discord's blast. And the last thing I heard from him was his triumphant laugh as the stone covered all of him. When everything died down, all that was left were the three Elements worn by Godrick, Taurus, and Thorn on the ground where they had disappeared and the statue of Discord, with the Element of Magic nowhere to be found." I finished my recounting for the first time in a thousand years. I hadn't noticed, but tears were slowly making their way down my face. I got up and walked to Trixie, both to check on her and to hide my face from Gilda.

"I… I never knew." Was all she managed to say.

"No one knows, and that's the problem." I sighed.

"But have you tried again?"

"Tried what again?" I asked as I turned back to Gilda.

"Tried to tell ponies again, to write about it again. If what you told me is true, then there might be more interactions between all of us. Griffins, ponies, dragons, Minotaur, if they knew how you all worked together-"

"Maybe, maybe not." I cut her off. "But you also have to remember, it happened more than a thousand years ago, and any traces of heir existence was erased by Discord. Even if we were able to tell others about it now without them forgetting, more than not, Tia and I would be blamed for their nonexistence, and probably be shunned for ever trusting Discord."

"But you don't know." Gilda pushed.

"No, I don't. But which is better? Letting everyone believe that you won by yourself, or that you survived as your friends disappeared from reality by pure chance?" Gilda didn't answer. I wasn't expecting one either. "Look, Gilda, you don't need to trouble yourself over my problems. You won't remember after going to sleep, and I've already come to terms with the situation. I asked you to be here to look after Trixie while I was gone, and that's all you need to worry yourself about."

"But, that just seems so hard now." Gilda said.

"It won't in the morning." I smiled as I patted her on the head. I looked out the window and noticed the moon on the horizon. "Speaking of morning, it's time to get my sister up. Wanna come?"

"What?" Gilda looked up me, as though snapping out of hypnosis. "M-Me? Meet the Princess? I don't think I could."

"Gilda, you're already standing here talking to me. Talking to Tia isn't going to be all that different."

"Yeah, but, you're-"

"I'm what?" I looked down upon her. She stopped her sentence and simply grumbled. "Very well." I smiled. "Shall we?" I asked as I opened the door.

"But what about Trixie?" Gilda jabbed a thumb at the sleeping mare.

"Trust me when I say she's in deep slumber. She won't be waking up before my return. Now, hop to it." At the command, Gilda quickly came out of the room. I closed the door and we made our way down the empty hallways. The few ponies who were up this early in the morning gave their grumbled respects as the walked past.

That was however until they noticed Gilda walking beside me. Now, it was no secret that other species often spent the night in Canterlot, but Gilda had none of the usual high-ranking badges of griffin status, and her hair was still a mess. I think Gilda noticed the stares as well.

"Um, Princess Luna? Are you _really_ sure this is okay?" Gilda whispered as a pair of housekeepers walked by and began whispering.

"Don't worry about it." I reassured her. "All you need to do is act like you belong where you are and no one will question it."

"But I _don't_ belong here." Gilda hissed which scared a colt to dart down the hallway ahead of us. "Besides, everyone seems afraid of me."

"Well, the last time griffins were here, things weren't so pleasant with them." I smiled. "Your High Council isn't as perfect as they like to think. Their pride was nothing for the trolls straightforwardness."

"Really?"

"Yes, now all you have to do is not scare them yourself and you'll be fine."

"Okay, but what about them?" Gilda nodded forward. I looked to see we were already at my sister's door. The Unicorn Guard was at the ready as always, but they were giving careful attention to Gilda.

"Good morning you two." I greeted.

"Good Morning Princess Luna." They replied in unison.

"Is my sister up yet?"

"There hasn't been a single sound in the room for the past six hours." The unicorn on the left replied.

"Well that's about to change." I said as I proceeded in. As Gilda tried to make her way in as well, both of the guards secured her feet to the ground.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Gilda shot, returning to her rough ways of speech.

"Only those of royalty and invited guests may enter this chamber." The right unicorn replied.

"Well can't you see I'm with Princess Luna? Now let go of me!"

The Guards looked to me, and I nodded in approval. They released their grip and Gilda proceeded forward, glaring equally at both of them as she came.

"I'm sorry Gilda, I don't usually have anypony else with me." I apologized.

"It's all right, I guess." Gilda grumbled. "You two are a high priority to the kingdom and all."

"That's not to say that we aren't like anypony else. Come, we need to wake Tia up." I said as I proceeded over to Tia's bed. She was sleeping soundly under her covers. I gently shook Tia. "Tia, come on, it's time for the day to rise."

"Can I get another few minutes?" Tia grumbled.

"Not tonight I'm afraid. There's actually somepony I want you to meet."

"Really?" Tia asked with some skepticism as she sat up. She looked upon me, and then to Gilda. Then Tia groaned. "Don't tell me they're at it again? Another dispute is the last thing I need right now."

"No, no, Tia, this is Gilda. Remember her from your letters?" I smiled.

"Hm?" Tia seemed a bit confused. Then it seemed to hit her. "Oh my! Where did you find her?"

"I ran into her last night at the old castle." I omitted the point of why. "And, seeing as she had nothing better to do, she'll be overseeing my class for the times I'm needed."

"Nothing, hm?" Tia seemed cautious. "Are you sure about this Luna? Your class doesn't necessarily pertain to… physical means."

"Oh I assure you Tia, Gilda will be the perfect overseer, there's just going to be one catch."

"Uh huh, I thought as much. So, what is it?"

"Gilda is kind of being hunted down by the griffin Wing Guard right now."

Tia just stared at me for a second before turning her attention to Gilda. "Is that true?"

"Yes, your majesty." Gilda said humbly.

Tia just looked on in shock. "I can see why too."

"You can?" Gilda and I asked in unison.

"Of course, she's being much to polite." Tia smiled. "Any normal griffin would have been proud to announce anything, especially the ability to out fly their proud Wing Guard. I think we can easily accommodate to that catch."

"See? Didn't I tell you this was going to be easy?" I smiled to the griffin.

"On the other hoof, _you_ picked her up sister." Tia said in an even, yet accusing tone. "So she is to be _your_ guest, understood?"

"Clearly sister." I gave a slight, respectful bow.

"Good, so with that out of the way, shall we have breakfast before or after the raising? It does appear to be early yet."

"Wait, us? As in, all of us?" Gilda asked.

"Sure, you are one of the Princesses' guests, are you not?" Tia smiled.

"Um, I'd rather not." Gilda turned down the offer. "Not to offend, but the griffin and pony diets don't quite match up."

"Hm, and I don't think I could ask the chefs to prepare any griffin dishes on such short notice." Tia thought aloud. "Oh well then. Luna?"

"I'd prefer to eat after the raising. There are some other things I would like to check on before breakfast."

"Really now? You would always cherish to eat before the raising. Has something changed recently?"

"Oh, just minor things to fill my time. Students, griffins, subjects, I'm really filling up my time quite nicely."

"And I'm sure you are. Now, shall we at least walk? I would like to stretch outside of this room."

* * *

Sorry for the wait, like my profile says, I write what I want, when I want, plus the backstory stumped me a bit. If it sounds at all interesting, I might make it its own mini story, I dunno. Thanks for the patience, and don't forget to RxR!


	9. Chapter 9

**An Eventful Morning:**

The Unicorn Guard gave their respectful bows as the three of us left my sister's room, still keeping a careful eye on Gilda. There was a still air about us until Tia broke the silence halfway to the Raising Grounds.

"Now Gilda, I know that Luna brought you here to shelter from the Wing Guard, but that doesn't mean you aren't free to come and go as you please. Just try to not get to rough around the staff, they are still a bit nervous since the last Griffin High Council visit."

"I heard. And I'm sorry for their behavior. They're supposed to represent all of us, and it just seems-"

"No need to worry, everything turned out all right, eventually." Tia sighed. "But try to remember the reason for other's reactions. Some of the ponies of Canterlot can be just as prideful as a griffin." Tia smiled.

"And don't I know it." Gilda smiled in return, glancing at me.

"Well, yes." I coughed. "But please Gilda, don't feel restricted to just the castle. Explore and enjoy yourself while you're here. Just make sure to be back by nightfall for the class."

"Yes ma'am." Gilda gave a firm salute and walked off. I saw that my advice had not fallen on deaf ears, because Gilda walked away with a pride and certainty that let nopony question she was supposed to be here.

"And don't think for a second that I didn't notice the obvious lack of detail in your two meeting." Tia said, making me flinch. "But I'll leave that for another time. I shall see you at breakfast." And with that, Tia walked off, leaving me in the intersection where we had stopped. Which was fine for me, there was a pony I wanted to talk with.

With little effort, mainly consisting of asking passing maids, I was able ascertain the quarters of Quick Fix. I don't believe my questions were all that proactive however, for every time the ponies thought I was out of earshot, rapid discussion of my questions were apparent. I found that Quick Fix actually lived with his parents beneath the royal kitchen, which was a shock to me personally. I knew that they would need to be close by to get to work on time, but almost being directly connected to their work? It was baffling.

Not knowing quite what to do, I stood in front of the door that I had been told was Quick Fix's families. As I finally gathered enough confidence to knock, I heard Quick Fix's voice, muffled, on the other side.

"Dad, don't worry about the oven! We're not baking anything this morning. …Yes I'm sure; I made the menu last night! …I'm going to see if there's anything else to do this morning mom!" Quick Fix yelled behind himself as he opened the door.

"Make sure to be to the kitchen before the Princesses get to the dining room!" A woman called after Quick Fix.

"I promise to be to work before the Princesses get- Princess Luna!" Quick Fix said in surprise as he turned forward.

"Who's there dear?" The woman's voice called. "And what was that about the princesses?"

"N-Nothing mom! I'm going now! Bye!" Quick Fix said quickly as he came into the hall and closed the door.

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing your morning routine." I said humbly.

"No! Not at all Princess. I was just going for a walk was all. Mom and dad just worry too much for their own good, so I have to keep reassuring them that I'm being proactive. But beside that, what are you doing _here_ of all places so early in the morning?"

"I did say that I wanted to speak with you." I said, a bit confused on why Quick Fix was.

"W-Well yes, but you didn't need to actively seek me out!"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No! Not at all Princess."

"Then why don't I join you on your morning walk then?"

"I-I don't see why not." Quick Fix looked down.

"So? Which way shall we begin?"

"Whichever way you please, Princess."

"No, this is _your_ walk, so you choose where we go." I said firmly.

"O-Ok then." Quick Fix began to walk the way I came. We walked in a very tense silence for quite a bit before Quick Fix started a, at best weak, conversation. "So, how was the weather last night?"

"It was very crisp and clear. An excellent night to fly."

"Oh."

"How was your night?"

"It wasn't anything too impressive." Quick Fix said dismissively.

"Well, tell me of it." I insisted.

"Ok, I guess. After I told dad of you, err, critique, he became a bit defensive of his work and said that he didn't care what the princess said, he would make each platter look as delicious as it was. I don't think he quite believed me when I said you said it, Princess Luna."

"I can't blame him, it is not like I comment on many things, much less such a personal matter." I nodded. "So, what of after that."

"Mostly just busy work like dishes, mopping, clean up, and a bit of help with the laundry."

"Really? You personally do that much? Why?"

Quick Fix went silent for a second. "Princess Luna? You have noticed that I don't have a cutie mark, right?"

"It has been a note." I admitted.

"Well, you should pretty much know what it means to not have a cutie mark this late in life."

"Mmm, usually it only means you haven't found what you're truly meant to do, correct?"

"That's the technical side, yes, but it also means that I'm really good for nothing."

"Now that is no way to think!" I was aghast with the thought that simply not having a cutie mark made one useless.

"It's not how I think, it's just how it is. It's one of the reason's I'm still with my parents; nopony wants to take a risk on me. I try, but I can't seem to find what I want to do. I keep trying new things, but nothing ever seems to stick. And why are you smiling like that?"

"Oh, you're just reminding me of three young fillies who are in about the opposite situation of yours. They're actively looking for their cutie marks probably as we speak."

"At least they have time to still be accepted as blank flanks." Quick Fix sighed. "You know, I always thought I would be able to open up my own little shop, just selling snacks on the street."

"That didn't go so well I presume?"

"It didn't go at all. For all my tries at just making a good apple slice or arranging a salad, it just never seemed to be as good as dad's. I never made an attempt to start, also, I was a bit to old to start a self made stand."

"I don't know, I've seen plenty handmade, self run booths."

"Probably none in Canterlot." Quick Fix sighed, making me bite back the comment on Ponyville, but as I did, I noticed we had come outside. I looked around and saw we were in the garden. This was actually quite a different experience, seeing it in the day like this.

"Do you come here often?" I asked, an idea springing to mind.

"Only when I have to much spare time. I didn't even notice I was walking here." Quick Fix took a look around. "There are usually a lot more ponies here though."

"I don't think that quite matter's right now, but I would like you to do something for me today." I said as officially as I could while still sounding friendly. I think I came off a bit to official with Quick Fix's reaction to standing up straight at attention. "I want you to keep an ear out for the name of Twilight Sparkle, and just an ear. I would like to hear of what you have to say of her later tonight here, in the garden."

"May I ask why Princess Luna? Is there something wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong, but there might be some overzealous action today with her, and I would like to know what happens. If things get overly complex to the point of problems, I want you to come and wake me immediately."

"Are you sure there aren't going to be any problems today?" Quick Fix was looking very nervous now.

"Nothing that my sister can't take care of for a few minutes. But even if nothing happens today, I still want you to come here after diner, understood?"

"Understood Princess!" Quick Fix gave a salute.

"Good." I smiled. "Now, instead of dinner, how about some breakfast? I'm starved."

"R-Right, we should probably get back." Quick Fix hurriedly headed back toward the dining room.

"Say, Quick Fix? You told me of your past, would you mind if I shared some of mine?"

"Um, I guess. But what do you want to tell me?"

I had to either thank or throttle Gilda for my next actions. "How do you think Celestia and I found the Elements of Harmony?"

…

"…And that is how Celestia and I came to meet Thorn, Godrick, and Taurus." I concluded the abridged version of our first meeting. We were standing in front of the dining hall's doors, and Quick Fix was just looking up at me in amazement.

"That's amazing! I mean, you and Princess Celestia are already amazing, but to meet such a manner of stubborn people in that time, and the group itself! I mean, a Griffin, a Dragon, and a Minotaur? That sounds like pure fiction!"

"Now, here's a little test for tomorrow." Quick Fix suddenly paled, and I chuckled a bit. "Tell me all that you can of it tomorrow."

"That's it?"

"That's it." I nodded. "Now, go make sure your father isn't fussing over the oven." I smiled.

"You heard that too?"

"I hear a lot of things."

With that, Quick Fix trotted off and I entered the dining room. Tia was already waiting and calmly drinking some tea. This offset me a bit, for this meant that Tia had been here long enough to actually have tea.

"I'm sorry for being late Tia, I just had to finish my talks."

"And I'm sure Quick Fix appreciates it." Tia smiled as she put the cup down. "How is he?"

"Active. Very active." I said shortly as I took my own seat. "It seems that he's a sort of all around helper around the castle."

"Really? I would have thought his parents would keep him busy with learning to cook."

"I believe they tried, it just didn't quite turn out like they wanted."

"And how is your student? Is she turning out like you wanted?" Tia turned the entire conversation around.

"She has…promise." I thought. "Determination is going to be a main point of the course, but there is going to have to be more than that."

"It is your course to teach." Tia admitted. "However, make sure that you don't just give your student's busy work all night."

"You heard about that?"

"I hear a lot of things." I twinged at the sound of my own words "I also read a lot of things, mainly Twilight's letters. I may need you tomorrow to calm a coming storm."

"Twilight Sparkle thinks Cadence is a changeling again?"

"Exactly." Tia nodded before looking at me. "How did you know?"

"Shining Armor told me last night." I sighed. "Things just don't seem to be going well for him recently."

"Or today. I still haven't seen him around the castle, even stopping by the marching grounds."

"That may be my fault Tia. I asked him to watch over Trixie while I did my nightly patrol."

"Which lead you to the old castle I presume?"

"Yeah." I looked toward the door, hoping for Quick Fix to come in and cut this line of discussion off fast. Unfortunately for me, there was no such luck.

"So, how did you come across Gilda?" Tia asked, looking more intent than before. "And I don't want a single detail missed."

"Well, it wasn't all _that_ exciting."

"Luna." Tia said warningly.

"All right." I sighed. "So I've been visiting the old castle recently, out of nostalgia really…"

I accounted my actions and my slight manipulation to bring Gilda to Canterlot. After I was done with the brief account, only then did Quick Fix come in with a loaf of sliced bread and an assortment of greens to accompany it. It was a greeted break before Tia surely scolded me for my actions.

"I'm sorry for the delay Princesses, there was a bit of a, uh, heated discussion in the kitchen." Quick Fix explained. It was more than likely that it was more of a one-sided scolding for being late than a discussion. He had broken his promise to be to the kitchen before Tia and I had arrived.

"It is quite all right Quick Fix, we were having a discussion of our own." Tia excused Quick Fix. "And I ask you kindly to leave so we may continue."

"As you wish Princess Celestia." Quick Fix bowed and left quickly.

"So," Tia said as she fashioned herself a sandwich. "You met Gilda destroying some of the old castle and decided that she would be an excellent mentor for your class. Am I summarizing that correctly?"

"Yes sister." I nodded slowly as I made my own sandwich.

"Could you please tell me why? Why will Gilda make an excellent mentor to Trixie? Is that not what you are meant to do?"

"It is, but there are aspects of Gilda that will personify my lessons."

"Such as?"

"The darker route." I said as I took a bite of my sandwich to take a second to let the statement sit. "I may be the image of night, and even the scary, to the ponies, but all of these terms of night, darkness, frightening, fear, can have varying meanings. Gilda has the darker and more immediate past that Trixie will have to deal with."

"Oh really? And what makes you so sure of that? As I see her, she has a difficult past to be sure, but a dark one? I don't quite see it."

"Then think of it this way, what am I to you?"

Tia just stared at me for a second, a look of shock on her face. "I see you as my beloved sister. There is no way I doubt that."

"And when I became Nightmare Moon, banishing me was one of the hardest things you've ever had to do, correct?"

"Yes." Tia nodded.

"Now, think of Gilda. Just for being the way she is, she was out casted by her family and community. I may have fallen to darkness, but Gilda wandered there with no other place to turn to, and there are many things to learn from that."

"And are you sure Gilda is going to comply with you exploiting her hurtful past?" Tia asked me seriously.

"She probably won't." I acknowledged. "But to lead one out of darkness, one must learn how they got there."

Tia sat in thought, eating as she did. As she finished, she sighed once again. "You're sure of this?"

"I am."

"Then I'll trust your judgment." Tia smiled as she stood. "I believe I have a few things to attend to this morning."

"Are you not going to eat more? One sandwich certainly hasn't satisfied you that much."

"It is enough. And I don't want to keep you up later than necessary, you've had a few exciting days, and more excitement means more rest necessary."

As she mentioned it, I immediately felt more wary. Just the mention of sleep made my eyes droop.

"Well then, I shouldn't keep you from your duties." I said as I stood as well. "But I don't feel right just leaving this mostly untouched."

"Take it with you." Tia said as she walked past and toward the door. "I'm sure Trixie would appreciate some breakfast as well."

And with the mention of Trixie, I remembered where she was, and how she might have a negative reaction to awakening in my room. I quickly took up the platter and followed after Tia, making short work to head back to my room.


	10. Chapter 10

**Dreams and Kightmares:**

Upon arrival at my own room, I had to stop for a moment and breathe. It may have only been a short distance from the dining room to my own, but my pace had me there in as little as of a minute. I slowly opened the door and crept inside.

Trixie was still fast asleep in my bed, but not as pleasantly as I had anticipated. My room was certainly dark enough to allow for a peaceful rest, even at this hour, but Trixie had an aura of discomfort around her. I carefully set down the breakfast plate and made my way toward her. She might not appreciate what I was about to do, but it seemed an appropriate time.

I knelt my horn down to hers and cast my dream-walking spell. On most nights, it was only necessary to use it in passing on troubled foals, but I was afraid that what I may be doing may be churning a bit to much for Trixie's own past, and with this close of a connection, I would have far greater influences, even waking her if need be. I closed my own eyes, and opened them to the scene of Ponyville of all places. I had expected some turmoil to come of events past, but I would not believe that here would have had such an impact.

If there was one problem with the dream-walker spell, it was accuracy, for every spell must have balance. A spell might be powerful, but for it to be so complex as this one, some things had to be sacrificed. Thus I began my exploration of Trixie's dream.

Some of the most prominent things abound in the town were things I had just read from her own accounting. There was an abundance of blue unicorns running around, all dealing with assortments of disasters caused by the young Trixie's immature magic, from palate swapped ponies to minor fires, all trivial to deal with, but such an abundance would wear any unicorn out. There were even a few stages spread among the shops, each featuring Trixie in an assortment of outfits, but one standing out from the others was a simple pointed hat and cape, and the crowds among the stages were all delighted whenever the show was over, waiting patiently for the next one.

But this confused me all the more. Usually when one was having a troubling night, it was because of scares and fear of what was under their beds, but this all seemed cheerful and fun, having to admit to having had sit through a performance or two myself. Yet, the more I wandered, the happier the town seemed to be. That was until I noticed a few of the crowd members leaving per performance. It was only one or two at a time, and I had figured they had gone to see another show, but as I followed a pair, I found them traveling down an alley I hadn't seen before.

Curious, I followed. What I found, I believed to be the source of this discomfort, for in the center of the crowd, there lay a defeated Trixie, head in hooves, not a care for her surroundings. There seemed no reason for her state, but as I paid closer attention to the silence, I picked up on a soft whisper, nothing more, but the more I paid it heed, the louder it grew.

"Have you heard what she's calling herself now?"

"'Great and Powerful'? I've seen my _grandma _do a better job than that hack."

"These are all parlor tricks anyways. Did you see what Cloud Walker did yesterday? I bet _she_ can't walk like a Pegasus."

"What's her problem anyways?"

"Could she be any more self centered?"

The longer I listened, the more I could understand. These were the negative comments made by everypony over her years of performance. I could understand the criticism of one's work, but while mine had been silent and mostly imagined, these had been real, and have stuck with Trixie over her years. And yet, with a keener ear, I was able to pick self-doubt from among the negative comments.

"What am I to do? There's no way to become better, I've hit my peak and left. Nopony will take me seriously anymore. Canterlot isn't helping, and Princess Luna only made me do paperwork. I shouldn't have bothered trying again. Maybe the rock farm was the best place after all." A deep sigh came from the resting Trixie. "I should have never tried."

"That is no way to think Trixie." I said, finally letting my presence be known to the sleeping mare. The crowd of ponies around me suddenly realized who I was and backed away; leaving a path straight to Trixie, whose only movement to acknowledge me was a sorrowful look.

"And what way is? I clearly have no talent besides entertainment, and nopony wants to see my face, much less a performance. Are you to tell me I'm wrong?"

"I am telling you to try. You have clearly known that not all ponies appreciate your craft for many years. Why have you let that bother you now?"

"Because of Twilight Sparkle!" Trixie stomped a hoof as she stood up, a spark of anger in her eyes. "I may have had neigh-sayers before, but she was the fist to upstage me!" Trixie raged as she stomped her way toward me. "Never had I been so humiliated! I know if she had not been there-"

"That things would have gone much worse." I said calmly, making Trixie stop. There was a sudden scream from the crowds and a roar of an Ursa. The celestial bear crawled above us and glowered in rage, but neither of us moved. "You know you couldn't handle the Ursa, there is a limit to your magic and you knew it, yet you tackled it head on. Twilight Sparkle may have saved Ponyville and embarrassed you, but that is no need to let it haunt you."

"Tell that to everypony else!" Trixie snapped as she waved her hoof around. "Ever since then, I haven't been able to hold another proper job! Nopony will give me a chance to do what I do!"

"And yet, where are you now?" I asked.

"I'm…" Trixie looked down, around her to the ponies, and finally up to the growling Ursa. "I'm stuck in the past."

"The past help defines who we are, but it does not determine who we are." I placed a hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "That was the meaning of your assignment. An introspection yields who we truly are, and only there can we find what we want to change."

"So, where does that leave me?" Trixie asked pleadingly.

"It leaves you with breakfast." I smiled as I brought my horn to hers, waking her from her sleep and retreating back to my own body. As I lifted my head, Trixie stirred in the bed. As her eyes fluttered open, a sudden realization came upon her. She bolted upright and immediately saw where she was.

"Wha-? How? When did I get here?" She asked blearily as she rubbed her eyes. When she turned to me, her eyes grew wide. "Princess Luna! I'm so sorry for intruding; I must have wandered in here by mistake! I'll get right back to the paper, and I'll-"

"There's no need Trixie, that is well and done. And do not worry so much, I brought you here myself. I realized when I came back that I had not taken care to learn of your own accommodations."

"Oh, uh, thank you?" Trixie said nervously as she got out of the bed. "But may I ask something Princess?"

"Feel free." I nodded in approval.

"Why the sudden change of heart? I couldn't have done that much to sway your opinion of me."

"You'd be surprised the amount of persuasion an open conversation can have." I smiled at the smaller unicorn. She seemed perplexed for a second before her mouth fell open. "Now, how about some of that breakfast?" I said as I headed toward the plate of bread and greens.

I lit the fireplace and took the plate to the waiting cushions. I settled down and looked to see Trixie was still looking at me in amazement. I sighed a little and picked her up and placed her across from me, and even then her look of shock was not gone. "Is everything all right Trixie?" I finally asked after fixing myself a sandwich.

"I-I-I, and you, in my dream I-, I can't say-" Trixie stuttered. I guided my sandwich into her moving jaw, and she finally stopped when she noticed her mouth was full.

"Don't say anything then. Eat and think, then speak." I said in a comforting command as I made myself another sandwich after Trixie took control over the one in her mouth. There was a long-standing silence as the two of us simply ate until the plate was empty. When we were done, Trixie simply stared at the plate for another minute until she finally asked a coherent question.

"Was that really you in my dream?" She asked, looking at me questioning eyes. No trace of fear or anger, just pure curiosity.

"Yes." Was my simple answer.

"How? How could you do that? I thought mind swapping was impossible."

"It wasn't a swap, more of a visit." I smiled at the analogy. "Not many can do what I just did, and none could do it as well as I, for it is one of my gifts. But can you remember how you felt after the conversation?"

"I felt… secure." Trixie said with a little thought. "Like, everything wasn't so bad. But, when you look at it all, it's kind of-"

"Then don't." I stopped the mare. "Don't dwell on the past, learn from it. Life will not always go the way you want it to, but we make the best of it. And that is a piece of what you are going to learn."

"How to make ponies feel better?" Trixie looked at me questioningly.

"To a degree, yes. One point of the night is insecurity, and to overcome that sense is to be content with yourself. When you have done that, you can help others do the same."

"So, that's it? That's lesson one?"

"For the time being."

"And I can come back tonight?"

"I do not see why not." I smiled. "But take care, for these first few nights, your rest will be disjointed, as you are going to have to adjust to being my pupil."

"Don't worry Princess Luna, I won't disappoint you!" Trixie said excitedly as she jumped to her feet. "I can't wait for tonight after I-" She stopped mid sentence, and frowned. "How is this going to affect my studies at the school?"

"It should already be taken care of. A revised schedule should be waiting for you in your mail."

"I need to see it!" Trixie rushed to the door, only to stop and look back to me. "Is it all right for me to go?"

"Yes, it is, and be back to the gardens at sundown, we'll continue then."

"Thank you Princess Luna." Trixie bowed and trotted out the door. I closed the door behind her and headed over to my bed. A simple clean and sweep spell reset the disheveled mess before I took off my adornments and settled in myself. As I closed my eyes, I fell into my own subconscious.

Walking my own dreams was not as simple as walking in other ponies, for even knowing myself; there were still pieces that eluded me. So when I found myself in the Everfree Forest, I was slightly baffled to find a mountain sitting where the old castle should have been. I spread my wings and began my assent up its side, and when I reached a cave near the top, I entered.

I was both surprised, yet comforted, by the scene inside. Inside lay the first alter of the Elements, a stone tablet with a slot for each element inside. The six empty slots formed a hexagon around a script that had burned itself into my mind with confusion.

_The Honest can be trusted; the Loyal never turned, the Kind ever present, the Generous always willing, the Laughing always smiling, the Magic continuously binding._

It had sparked a myriad of disputes among the six of us at the time. Now that I look back on the time, it seems so obvious, but for the life of me I couldn't figure it out. What was funny however was when Discord figured out the rhyme and which of us each represented an element the strongest. I think the most shock came form when Celestia was named for Kindness instead of Magic. Everyone had figured either Celestia or I for it, but never Discord.

I sighed from the memories and looked upon the tablet once more, but it was gone. I was a bit surprised and turned to look for it, only to find a statue of Thorn, Taurus, and Godrick behind me, each reaching out, each petrified in terror. I reeled back from how close they were, and fell on my behind for the effort.

"_Luuunaaa…_" A faint, familiar voice called. My attention snapped to the statue of Godrick, but his statue hadn't seemed to move.

"…_You musssst ssssave…_" The voice of Thorn hissed out, but he didn't move either.

"…_Uss._" Taurus finished the trio's plea.

"How?" I asked, a bit distraught. "You are nothing more than my imagination. How can I save you? You were all disintegrated."

"_Look to the mountain."_ The three said in unison. In a single motion, all three statues rotated to let me pass them, and I ran past them as fast as I could. Taking to the sky once more, I wanted to run, I wanted to forget again. But that wasn't what this dream was about.

Every dream had a purpose, and every message could be vital. So with a deep breath, I turned to face the mountain and gasped in shock.

Where as Discord had been turned to stone statue, Taurus, Thorn, and Godrick had also been turned to stone. I don't know how we couldn't have recognized them before, it may have been the shock, but I could tell them as clear as day from where I was.

Trapped as the mountain, Taurus, Thorn, and Godrick were the very foundations of the mountain.

"But, how can I free you? It was Discord who set you there, and I am certainly not letting him out a third time." I huffed into the air, hoping I wasn't talking to myself.

"_Disscord did not…"_

"…_do this to uss…"_

"…_the Elements did"_

With their parting words, I woke to a start and a cold sweat. I could still feel my heart pounding, but now was not the time for excitement. I had to tell Celestia of my dream. I quickly got up and adorned myself and made my way to the door, stopping just short of it.

Or did I need to tell her?

* * *

A.N. Please note that this story began publishing before season 3, and as such will not incorporate any of it's plot threads. Mentions to it may occur, but such things as the Alicorn amulet, Discord's reformation, and Alicorn Twilight will not be a part of this story.


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